Smugglers remodel nearly half a million dirhams worth gold as buckles of bags and belts, get caught by Dubai Customs

Smugglers remodel nearly half a million dirhams worth gold as buckles of bags and belts, get caught by Dubai Customs

Dubai: Two passengers, who tried to smuggle in nearly half a million dirhams worth gold remodelled as buckles of bags and belts, have been caught red handed by Dubai Customs. Dubai Customs on Thursday said it has thwarted the smuggling of 24-carat gold bars weighing 2.3 kilograms, with a market value of Dh485,700, which were with two passengers coming to the emirate through the Dubai International Airport. The passengers tried to deceive the inspectors by distributing the ingots to several bags and melting the ingots in the form of buckles used for the bags and belts they carry. The total weight of the bullion in the first seizure was 1.072kg, valued at Dh225,120, and the second seizure was 1.241kg, valued at Dh260,610. “With this, Dubai Customs proves again that it stands firm against all the smuggling attempts, relying on a team of highly qualified inspectors and very advanced technologies,” said Ibrahim Kamali, director of Passenger Operations Department. “The high sense of security led the inspectors, and as part of their routine work in facilitating customs procedures and monitoring passenger movement, to suspect the passenger’s bag.” He said when the bag was X-rayed, it showed density variation. “After thorough examination, we