Drugs hidden inside passenger’s body seized at Abu Dhabi Airport

A drug smuggling attempt involving more than 1.4 kg of cocaine hidden inside a passenger’s body has been foiled at Abu Dhabi's Zayed International Airport.

The operation was carried out by the General Directorate of Ports at the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security, in cooperation with the National Anti-Narcotics Authority.

Customs officers became suspicious of a passenger on arrival and carried out further inspections before transferring the individual to hospital for medical examination.

Authorities later recovered 100 capsules of cocaine concealed inside the passenger’s body, weighing a total of 1,418 grams.

Officials say the seizure highlights the UAE’s advanced customs screening systems and the high level of coordination between anti-narcotics and airport inspection teams in tackling increasingly sophisticated smuggling methods.