WAM DUBAI: Dubai Customs has seized a large quantity of drugs carefully hidden in a cargo shipment, which originated from Iran on its way to Malaysia via Dubai and Singapore.

Dubai Free Zone and Customs Corporation executive chairman Ahmed Butti, in a press conference attended by Malaysian consul general to Dubai Ahmed Fadil Shamsuddin and UNODC program coordinator Boris Znamenski, Ports, revealed that the team of inspectors at Dubai Customs at the Cargo Village successfully managed to detect 113 kg of the 'Crystal', an internationally prohibited substance, hidden in plastic reels in shipment in transit.

The seized material, crystal methamphetamine also known as metamfetamine (INN), methylamphetamine, N-methylamphetamine, desoxyephedrine, and colloquially as meth, is a potent central nervous system stimulant that affects neurochemical mechanisms responsible for regulating heart rate, body temperature, blood pressure, appetite, attention, mood and emotional responses associated with alertness or alarming conditions. Meth speeds up the brain and gradually damage its cells.

Butti, in the press conference, revealed the details of the seized goods operation saying that customs inspectors suspected in a parcel when they examined information of the bill of landing and then they manually searched the contents and found the drugs.

While applying the manual search and ripping open the plastic reels, the team detected a white substance, at the bottom, wrapped in small transparent bags, a cunning act aimed at transporting the contents without being detected. The Mobile Lab team at Dubai Customs was called to examine and analyze a sample of the detected item and the examination results positively proved to identify the suspected item of the eight reels substance as the 'crystal' weighing 113 kg.

The official added that within the framework of coordination with the General Department of Anti-Narcotics of Dubai Police, information about the seized shipment was exchanged with the concerned authorities in Malaysia, the final destination and Singapore where the shipment was planned to pass by transit after moving from Dubai. An inspector was appointed to monitor the suspected shipment. These efforts and joint cooperation between Dubai and their counterparts in those two countries led to the confiscation of the shipment in Kuala Lumpur airport and the consignee of the shipment was nabbed in a closely-monitored operation.

The Malaysian official authorities thanked Dubai Customs for their efforts in detecting the parcel hidden dugs and for feeding back information about the contents of the shipment.

The director general of Dubai Customs reaffirmed the keenness of the department to realize its vision of becoming the leading Customs administration in the world and supporting legitimate trade. He added that the protection of the community from infiltrated prohibited and restricted substances has been a strategic objective for Dubai Customs which goes in line with the objective of supporting the economy. The latter objective is equally important, bearing in mind that individuals, whether local or international, are valued resources that ought to be preserved. Therefore, Dubai Customs always maintains a vigilant eye monitoring any attempt of illegitimate movement of illicit transit goods via Dubai.

Butti reiterated that the professional human efficiency at the Dubai Customs and the highly qualified skills of the Customs inspectors and their experience in identifying ways of smuggling used by transporters are objectively focused in the training courses undergone by the inspectors with the aim of developing their abilities and skills. Besides, the department adopts the most world advanced technical inspection and search systems deployed at all customs ports, he said.

Butti praised the mutual continuous cooperation between Dubai Customs and Dubai Police Headquarters and all different related government departments with the aim of serving the interests of the country and enhancing the position of the UAE in the world. He also thanked Dubai Customs cadres and the inspection team who seized the drug shipment and their vigilance in aborting any planned ways for smuggling goods, highlighting that drugs are of the most risky substances that undermine human abilities and negatively affect human health and wellbeing.

Butti emphasized that Dubai managed to make use of its strategically situated position in forming a solid ground in the world trade map. This in turn made others depend on it as central bridge between the East and the West and in the movement of re-exports activities. "Within these challengeable factors, we managed to successfully keep balance between facilitating procedures from one hand, and from the other hand, ensure legitimate movement of shipments whether incoming to the local market or transit via Dubai by enabling the policy of compliance and facilitation.It is worth mentioning that the Crystal substance contains the methamphetamines which are stimulants that speed up the brain and gradually damage its cells," he further said.

He also revealed that the substance is produced into forms of ice or crystal meth. The base is wrapped in paper or stuffed into the pipes snorted, inhaled or smoked. Also it can be mixed in a drink melted and used in needles or swallowed (a practice called "bumbing") methamphetamines.

Some of the pharmaceuticals companies use the methamphetamine substance in some medications; however, some people illegally produce this substance by adding chemical detergent substances.

WAM/MMYS