DOHA: A passenger recently flying through Hamad International Airport has been arrested after customs officers found him carrying 11kg of marijuana in a bag of dried chili peppers.
Authorities gave few details about the seizure, except to say that an Asian traveler was arrested.
Eleven kilograms is enough marijuana for 11,000 one-gram joints.
The arrest is the third significant marijuana seizure at HIA reported this month.
In early April, customs authorities found 6.4kg of marijuana concealed in dried fish and assorted nuts carried by an Asian passenger arriving in Qatar after transiting through another Gulf country.
And last week, authorities found 17.8kg of marijuana, as well as 6.5kg of gold, in the luggage of a passenger arriving from an African country.
Comprehensive statistics on drug seizures in Qatar are not generally released, making it unclear if the recent arrests represent a spike in attempts to smuggle narcotics into the country.
