Dubai – 20 October 2020: Jebel Ali Customs Center, part of Dubai Customs’ Sea Customs Centers Management, thwarted 103 smuggling attempts in the first 8 months of 2020 (Jan-Aug).  A total of 104,074 inspection operations were done and 144,025 containers were scanned in this period. 

Prohibited goods, which were seized by the Center, varied to include 33,930 kg of sandalwood, which is in violation of CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). Another seizure included 53,760 narcotic pills packed in 32 boxes, and another one included the narcotic (paan) substance packed in 5.5 million plastic bags and hidden in 92,400 boxes.  

“We developed our inspection systems to ensure best effective ways of thwarting smuggling of prohibited goods,” said Yousef Al Hashmi, Director of Sea Customs Centers Management. “At Jebel Ali Customs Center, we have 6 advanced container scanning systems that can handle 900 containers per hour. The system alerts inspectors for any suspicious shipments through identifying density of materials inside the container. Aided by the K9 Sniffing Dogs Unit, the highly professional and skilled inspectors can easily recognize and detect any prohibited materials. We are connected directly to Dubai Customs and DP World to help clients book an inspection date convenient to them.” 

Ahmed Al Jamri, Senior Inspection Manager at Jebel Ali Customs Center said: 
“Although Covid-19 is challenging we work hard to ensure safe and streamlined inspection operations. We are up to it and we are capable of protecting our society from the hazards of illegitimate goods, and for this we provide our inspection officers with the latest tools and technologies and advanced training so that they can handle their work in different conditions.”