Qatar
Customs authority foils bid to smuggle drugs
Customs authority foils bid to smuggle drugs
Inspectors from the General Authority of Customs (GAC) have foiled a number of attempts to smuggle illicit drugs into the country through Hamad International Airport (HIA) and Hamad Port.
The authority seized 14kg of hashish and 42.5kg of marijuana at HIA and 12 tonnes of chewing tobacco at Hamad Port, it said in a statement.
The hashish was found in two batches of 7kg each, hidden inside secret pockets in the smugglers' luggage. The marijuana, on the other hand, was seized through 10 separate operations at HIA after the Customs officers on duty suspected the conduct of the travellers in question and decided to conduct a thorough search of their luggage. The contraband was found hidden in their bags, wrapped in an almost identical way. All the operations were carried out successfully in co-operation with the relevant department at the Ministry of Interior and the arrested smugglers were referred to the authorities concerned for necessary legal procedures.