Officials have thwarted attempts to smuggle 28kg of marijuana and more than 1,500 Tramadol pills into the country this month, the General Authority of Customs (GAC) said.

The drugs were found in four separate consignments that smugglers recently tried to import as checked-in luggage at Hamad International Airport (HIA), and among clothes in an air cargo shipment.

Weed was also hidden in a shipping container at Doha Port while painkiller pills were found sewn into clothing in a courier packet.

Suspicious

In the first bust, customs officers found 20kg of marijuana in a passenger’s suitcase at HIA.

After becoming suspicious about the luggage, inspectors ordered a full scan and search of the bag.

They found the drugs wrapped in carbon paper in a bid to avoid x-ray detection, and packed next to other items, the customs authority said in a statement.

A further 6.8kg of marijuana was discovered in several bags packed with clothes. These came from an unnamed “African country” and were sent through air cargo.

Additionally, during a search of a shipping container at Doha Port, inspectors found a package inside a European fridge. It was found to have 1.2kg of marijuana.

Tablets

Meanwhile, officers discovered some 1,534 Tramadol tablets in a courier package that had been sent from an “Asian country,” the GAC said.

The women’s clothing was heavily embroidered and embellished with crystals. When the stitching was undone, the synthetic opioid painkillers were found.

This hauls follow similar foiled smuggling attempts by inspectors inSeptember. At that time, 29kg of marijuana belonging to five separate “Asian” passengers was seized.

Source: dohanews.co