The drugs were concealed under a container carrying foodstuffs coming from one of the neighboring countries…reports Asian Lite News
The Sharjah Ports, Customs and Free Zones Authority revealed that Sharjah Customs officials managed to thwart an attempt to smuggle a huge haul of drugs – about 93 kilograms of crystal meth and 3,000 methadone tablets – into the country.
The drugs were concealed under a container carrying foodstuffs coming from one of the neighboring countries, the Authority said in a statement on Thursday.
When checking the container upon its late arrival during the Eid al-Adha holidays, Customs officials found out that goods were kept in a suspicious manner inside the container.
According to officials, the drugs that were meticulously concealed inside iron cylinders. The drugs were then seized in coordination with the concerned authorities.
Sharjah Customs recently seized an illegal shipment of crystal methamphetamine, weighing 123 kg, being smuggled into the UAE. The shipment, which was coming through a sea port, was hidden at the bottom of a refrigerated container loaded with fruits and vegetables coming from an Asian country.
Upon inspection, Sharjah customs inspectors became suspicious about the fruit when they detected traces of welding on the floor. Upon further investigation, inspectors discovered five steel boxes containing the drugs.
During the first ten months of 2020, Sharjah Customs carried out 2,521 seizures, which represents 63 percent of total drug seizures.
“The numbers and indices of seizures carried out by the State Customs Sector indicate the extent of the hazard of potential operations practiced by drugs smuggling gangs targeting the UAE youth community. At the same time, it reflects the extent of the alertness of the UAE Customs Sector and the magnitude of the role directed towards combating drug smuggling,” said Ali Saeed Mattar Alneyadi, Commissioner of Customs.