UAE: Over 500 items seized at Dubai Hatta Customs Center

DUBAI: Dubai’s Hatta Customs Center has made 538 seizures in 2022, it revealed on Sunday.

Dubai Customs also said the center handled 87,400 transactions last year, handling 78,600 freight trucks and 587,000 cars.

Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, Director General of Dubai Customs and CEO of Ports, Customs and Free Zones Company, said during a visit to the Hatta border crossing: “The creativity of Dubai Customs has become part of our daily work as we seek to develop customs at the local and international levels. procedures and techniques.”

Musabih was accompanied by senior customs officials, who reviewed the center’s smart systems used to facilitate trade and thwart any smuggling attempts.

The ‘Seyaj Buggy’ is the latest innovation to join the Seyaj Initiative, which was developed by Dubai Customs to ensure better control of Dubai’s ports. The Buggy can be used to search under trucks and vehicles when dangerous goods are suspected. It can go through tight places and capture high-quality 360-degree images and videos within a range of 30 meters.

Dubai Customs said it attaches great importance to the development of truck scanning inspection systems to effectively detect suspicious cargo and stop any smuggling attempts.

“Inspired by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, who said that innovation in government is the foundation of any development and the driving force shaping the future, we stand for Customs The center is equipped to use the latest and most advanced technology to facilitate trade and streamline passenger movement,” Musabih said.

“With this in mind, we have established a process to handle employee ideas, research them and turn them into projects. Creativity has become one of the five pillars of Dubai Customs’ strategic plan for 2021-2026.”

Muabih added that the Hatta border crossing is a very important transit point for trade and tourism. The border crossing plays an important role in facilitating passenger movement and trade between Dubai and Oman, as well as between GCC countries. The Crossing has played a key role in meeting local market demand for food and construction materials during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hamid Mohammed, Managing Director, Inland Customs Centre, Dubai Customs, said: “The importance of Hatta Crossing has increased recently as the value of trade in Dubai is growing significantly. The vigilance and dedication of our customs inspectors coupled with the smart systems in place It is vital to curb the entry of illegal goods into the emirate.”