Dubai Customs: 301 seizures worth Dh45 million conducted at Jebel Ali Centres till end of Q3 2013

Dubai: Dubai Customs effectively thwarts smuggling bids of all goods infringing local and international laws. Seizures of such goods made at Jebel Ali Customs Centres from early January till end of September 2013 amounted to 301 seizures, in which 2.5 million items were hauled, with total weight of 160,000 kg and overall value of AED 45 million. Interceptions at Jebel Ali Customs Centers varied in the first 9 months of 2013 to include 137 seizures of goods violating the regulations of the origin country - 908,000 items worth approximately Dh 9.5 million; 84 seizures of IPR infringing goods - 507,000 items with estimated value of Dh 8.3 million; 29 seizures of undeclared goods - 261,000 items worth over Dh 2 million; 16 seizures of prohibited or restricted goods - 643,000 items valued at Dh 20.2 million - of which 506,000 tramadol pills worth of Dh 5 million. Other seizures at Jebel Ali Customs Centers included goods that appeared to be inconsistent with the size of declared consignments - 58,000 items were seized with estimated value of Dh 1.5 million. Nine seizures of endangered red sandalwood, banned under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), comprised 130,000 items worth Dh 5.2 million. Besides, six seizures of violating goods in terms of misusing the exemption system or exploitation of preferential treatment covered 14,000 items with estimated value of Dh 452,000. Finally, 8 miscellaneous seizures of stolen items and goods not matching their description in the manifest included 31,700 items worth of Dh 2.7 million. These seizures reflect the efficiency of Jebel Ali Customs Centers inspectors in detecting all goods infringing laws and regulations and preventing their entry to the country, in line with DC's steadfast commitment to take on its vital role in protecting the security, health and economy of the community, while facilitating trade by offering better and effective customs facilitations to traders and investors. Abdulla Mohammed Al Khaja, Director of Jebel Ali Customs Centers Department, said, "Our evident success in foiling all forms of smuggling bids is the result of relentless efforts to train inspectors on using latest techniques in spotting unlawful goods. Training courses and workshops are regularly carried out to optimise performance efficiency, supported by the high-tech Risk Engine; a system developed internally by DC to screen and detect risky shipments beforehand. The Risk Engine allows risk-free consignments to be cleared instantly, while risky ones are referred to the e-inspection process, which saves customers' time by scheduling appointments for their consignments' inspection". - Emirates News Agency, WAM