UAE Customs Foils Smuggling Attempt, Finds 16.2kg of Contraband Hidden in Vehicle Tyre

• UAE Customs officers grew suspicious of a vehicle crossing a land border and decided to take a closer look
• Advanced scanning technology flagged unusual indicators inside the vehicle, triggering a hands-on search by inspection teams
• The Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security shared the findings on September 30, 2026

UAE Customs inspectors have intercepted a major contraband smuggling attempt after discovering 16.2 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine concealed inside a vehicle tyre at one of the country's land border crossings.

The Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) announced the seizure on September 30, 2026, indicating that the discovery was made by the General Directorate of Ports Security after inspectors noticed something unusual during routine screening.

How inspectors uncovered the hidden contraband

The operation began when the vehicle passed through the border's advanced scanning systems, which detected irregular readings.

Those initial flags prompted manual inspection teams to conduct a thorough physical examination of the vehicle.

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Working alongside the Customs and Security Support Department (K9), a unit that specialises in detecting prohibited substances, officers located the contraband buried within the tyre itself, carefully packed in a bid to evade detection.

ICP praised the inspectors for the level of professionalism and technical skill they brought to the operation, noting that the successful seizure demonstrated both human expertise and the effectiveness of the authority's technological infrastructure at ports of entry.

765 narcotics seizures recorded in 2026

The find is part of a broader enforcement effort that has seen the General Directorate of Ports Security log 765 separate seizures of prohibited substances since the start of the year.

Across those cases, officers have recovered approximately 390 kilograms of narcotics and 50,000 narcotic pills.

ICP reaffirmed its commitment to continually strengthening inspection capabilities across all UAE entry points, describing the effort as central to national initiatives aimed at protecting public safety and deterring those who attempt to exploit border crossings for illegal purposes.

Ghana forms task force against narcotics movement

Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that the President of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama, had directed the formation of an inter-agency task force to draw up a concrete plan to stop narcotics smuggling through Ghana's borders.

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The directive came out of an emergency meeting Mahama personally chaired with senior security officials on Thursday, September 17, 2026.

The task force has been given a two-week window to present a detailed roadmap of recommended measures.

Source: YEN.com.gh