Inspectors from the General Authority of Customs (GAC) have foiled attempts to smuggle a total of 22.7kg of hashish and 5kg of marijuana at Hamad International Airport (HIA).
These operations were conducted in co-operation with the department concerned at the Ministry of Interior (MoI).
The hashish was found in the possession of three passengers who had arrived at HIA on a direct flight from an Asian country, the GAC said in a statement yesterday. They had kept the contraband separately in four bags, in amounts of 8kg, 6.5kg, 4.7kg and 3.5kg.
The illicit drug was kept hidden inside secret pockets in the bags, carefully designed so as to make it difficult to spot them.
The inspector in charge suspected foul play on noticing one of the travellers and conducted a thorough search of his bags, while other GAC personnel followed up with the other suspects simultaneously. This led to the discovery of hashish that collectively weighed 22.7kg. Accordingly, the drug was seized and the suspected smugglers were arrested.
The other operation was conducted by a female GAC inspector, who also suspected the conduct of a traveller and decided to conduct a thorough search of his handbags. This resulted in the detection of 5kg of marijuana, which had been kept in two handbags.
The necessary legal procedures were initiated against the passenger and the contraband was seized.
Ahmed bin Abdullah al-Jammal, chairman of the General Customs Authority, honoured six employees of HIA Customs for their role in the detection and seizure of the contraband and thanked them for their efforts.
Mansur Ajab al-Qahatani, director of the GAC’s HIA Customs Department, thanked the Customs inspectors concerned and honoured them for their alertness and sincere efforts in doing their duty.
QNB’s brand value rises nearly 20% year-on-year to $6.03 billion in 2020
QNB’s brand value has risen nearly 20% year-on-year to $6.03bn in 2020, putting it in a strong position to continue...
