The gold had been painted to look like regular metal buckles. Photo: Dubai Customs
The gold had been painted to look like regular metal buckles. Photo: Dubai Customs
The gold had been painted to look like regular metal buckles. Photo: Dubai Customs
The gold had been painted to look like regular metal buckles. Photo: Dubai Customs

UAE

Dubai Customs thwart smugglers who melted gold into belt buckles

The passengers were carrying more than 2kg of the metal worth about Dh500,000

Sarah Forster
Sarah Forster

September 08, 2022

  • English
  • Arabic

Two passengers travelling through Dubai airport have been caught trying to smuggle Dh500,000 ($136,150) worth of gold into the emirate.

Customs officers seized 2.3 kilograms of 24-carat gold that had been melted down and remoulded to look like belt buckles.

The passengers painted the metal to camouflage them, before wearing them or attaching them to their suitcases.

The gold, worth about Dh485,700, was distributed among several bags and belts, officials said on Thursday.

“With this, Dubai Customs proves again that it stands firm against all the smuggling attempts relying on a team of highly qualified inspectors and very advanced technologies,” said Ibrahim Kamali, director of the Passenger Operations Department.

Two passengers were caught trying to smuggle buckles made out of pure gold into Dubai. Photo: Dubai Customs
Two passengers were caught trying to smuggle buckles made out of pure gold into Dubai. Photo: Dubai Customs

“The bag was X-rayed, showing density variation. After thorough examination, we discovered that all the buckles in the bag were made of pure gold and they were painted in a different colour as a means of camouflage. More investigation led to thwarting the second passenger’s haul."

Mr Kamali said the department enrolled its customs officers in specialised training courses aimed at recognising suspicious body language and identifying drug types, as well as investing in the latest detection devices.

“Smuggling methods vary according to the type of smuggled material, size of the shipment and means of transport. Travellers use a variety of tricks, including hiding their contrabands in secret pockets at the bottom of large bags," Mr Kamali said.

"Some smugglers try to take advantage of the quick and simple customs procedures, mistakenly thinking that this would compromise with security, but they are very wrong. There is no compromise whatsoever when it comes to the security and safety of our society and borders.”

On Tuesday, a taekwondo coach returning to India with his young team from Thailand was reported as being investigated on suspicion of smuggling gold worth $35,000.

The unidentified trainer and his 13 team members were stopped by customs officials at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport, officials said on Twitter on Monday.

A search of the Indian coach, two others and 10 minors uncovered undeclared gold chains and rings weighing 667 grams.

The seizure came 24 hours after an Indian man was caught at Delhi airport with 216g of gold hidden inside a Thermos flask, shortly after arriving from Singapore.

Two other men were arrested at the airport on September 2 on suspicion of smuggling 12 gold bars from Riyadh, weighing 1.4kg and valued at about $81,676.

Gold prices have drifted towards a six-week low in the face of tightening monetary policy around the world and rising global inflation.

Gold smuggling attempts: in pictures

  • This passenger who travelled on a Dubai to Delhi flight was found to have smuggled melted gold taped to his bald head. He wore a wig to conceal it. Photo: Delhi Customs
    This passenger who travelled on a Dubai to Delhi flight was found to have smuggled melted gold taped to his bald head. He wore a wig to conceal it. Photo: Delhi Customs
  • Customs officers at Delhi airport on April 17 seized 15 gold bars concealed in the socks of a passenger who disembarked a flight from Dubai. The bars weighed 1,747 grams and would be worth more than $100,000, meaning the passenger was avoiding paying thousands of dollars in import tax. Photo: Delhi Customs
    Customs officers at Delhi airport on April 17 seized 15 gold bars concealed in the socks of a passenger who disembarked a flight from Dubai. The bars weighed 1,747 grams and would be worth more than $100,000, meaning the passenger was avoiding paying thousands of dollars in import tax. Photo: Delhi Customs
  • Delhi Customs said a passenger who came off a flight from Dubai was found to have melted down this 443 gram bar of gold into a paste and wrapped it around his legs. Photo: Delhi Customs
    Delhi Customs said a passenger who came off a flight from Dubai was found to have melted down this 443 gram bar of gold into a paste and wrapped it around his legs. Photo: Delhi Customs
  • A huge gold chain was confiscated from a passenger who was wearing more than the permitted gold allowance. He was further found to have tried to smuggle several bars through Delhi airport to avoid paying thousands of dollars in import duty. Photo: Delhi Customs
    A huge gold chain was confiscated from a passenger who was wearing more than the permitted gold allowance. He was further found to have tried to smuggle several bars through Delhi airport to avoid paying thousands of dollars in import duty. Photo: Delhi Customs
  • A customs officer tears open a hidden compartment of a suitcase to find a large amount of undeclared currency in Saudi riyals and UAE dirhams. The passenger, who landed in Delhi on a flight from Dubai, was detained. Photo: Delhi Customs
    A customs officer tears open a hidden compartment of a suitcase to find a large amount of undeclared currency in Saudi riyals and UAE dirhams. The passenger, who landed in Delhi on a flight from Dubai, was detained. Photo: Delhi Customs
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