The UAE anti-narcotics department has foiled an attempt by an African national to smuggle cocaine into the country.

The African woman, a transit passenger, was arrested after being found in possession of 13 kg of the drug which she attempted to smuggle through the Abu Dhabi Airport.

The narcotics were stashed in secret compartments inside weight plates and clothing buttons (in the form of pills), said the Abu Dhabi Police team which made the arrest in co-ordination with the Anti-Narcotics Federal Directorate General at the Ministry of Interior.

Brigadier Dr Rashid Mohammed Borshid, the head of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), said the woman caught the vigilant officers' eye as she was taking the same suspicious flight route.

The suspect, who had been identified as 26-year old MB, was behaving in a strange manner at the transit area and also showed signs of extreme confusion and discomfort, which attracted the attention of the authorities at the Abu Dhabi International Airport.

“The suspect was then submitted to a screening test by the competent airport authorities; which led to the cocain haul. The drugs were found to be stashed inside well-hidden secret compartments in her travel bag,” he added.

The suspect had recently entered the UAE on a visit visa.

Brigadier Borshid said the police team was specially alert as they had made similar arrests recently when the culprits, (who were from a Latin American country) were about to board a flight via the Abu Dhabi International Airport (Transit) on their way to an Asian country, he stated.  

She was arrested and referred to the competent

The Head of the Criminal Investigation Department called upon the public to report any suspicious acts quickly and provide all cooperation to the police.

Colonel Sultan Suwayeh Al Darmaki, the chief of the anti-drug section at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), said on interrogation, the suspect confessed that she had been offered $35,000 for the job.

"When questioned, the visitor confessed to the crime. She was arrested and referred to the competent authorities along with the seized items for further investigation," he added.-TradeArabia News Service