Customs foils attempts to smuggle marijuana

Another attempt to smuggle in 1,534 Tramadol pills was also foiled, the GAC said in a press statement.

The first seizure was made at Hamad International Airport (HIA) when the contents of a passenger's baggage raised the suspicion of the Customs officer in charge, who ordered a thorough search. Accordingly, 20kg of ground marijuana was found wrapped inside carbon paper and hidden among other items. The contraband was wrapped in this manner in an apparent bid to avoid detection through an X-ray scanner.The second seizure was made by the Air Cargo and Private Airports Customs Department and involved a courier. A number of bags containing 6.8kg of marijuana were found inside a package containing clothes, which had come from an African country, after it drew the attention of a Customs officer on duty.The third seizure took place when an inspector got the contents of a container searched at Doha Port. A package belonging to a European national was found inside a refrigerator in the container, and a search revealed the presence of 1.2kg of marijuana there.The fourth seizure involved a courier package sent from an Asian country, containing embroidered and decorated women's clothes. An on-duty employee conducted a thorough search and, on cutting through the sewing, found 1,534 Tramadol pills hidden inside the clothes.Later, GAC president Ahmed bin Ali al-Muhannadi honoured the four employees who made the seizures and thanked them for their alertness at work. He stressed that these employees played a vital role in protecting the society against such harmful substances.