Dubai Customs seizes 12 fake European passports at airport

Dubai Customs inspectors at the Dubai International Airport- Terminal 3 have foiled an attempt to smuggle 12 fake European passports into the UAE. The sized passports were in the possession of an Asian passenger coming from his country. According to Ali Al Mugahwi, the Director of Airport Operations Department at Dubai Customs, an inspector was suspicious of the Asian passenger as he walked into the Customs Inspection Area. Before searching his luggage, the inspector asked him if he was carrying anything that should be declared. "No," the passenger replied. But the vigilant inspector could clearly see signs of restlessness and anxiety in his behaviour. So he immediately started searching the bag only to discover that it had secret pockets, containing 12 passports issued from two European countries. The investigators of the Passenger Investigation Office at the Airport Operations Department found out that the passports were fake and the passenger was trying to get them into the country to deliver them to someone, who would use them for illegitimate purposes, in exchange of $ 500 for each passport. As a routine procedure by Dubai Customs, the passenger, the seized passports, the seizure report and the information collected during the investigation were handed over to the General Department of Airport Security in Terminal 3, for further action. Al Mugahwi said smugglers often follow easy means to make quick cash, and try their best to fool the Customs officers using deceitful methods, but the alertness of the Customs inspectors helps in exposing such attempts.These competent officers have developed remarkable skills in the art of suspicion, allowing them to monitor the movements of passengers arriving at the airport and meticulously detect any suspicious cases. He stressed the continued efforts of Dubai Customs to detect such crimes that jeopardize national security by trafficking internationally prohibited materials. Prevention of smuggling is fundamental to DC's strategic vision with respect to protecting community members locally and worldwide. In this regard, Al Mugahwi lauded the inspectors' high attention to implementing the most advanced security measures at all ports in order to preserve the image of Dubai and the UAE. Dubai Customs holds high attention to educating its staff and raising their awareness about the counterfeiting of official documents by criminals. The inspectors are continuously trained to be able to detect false papers of all kinds. This training enables them to differentiate fraudulent from original documents and identify the tricks used by offenders.