Dubai foils attempts to smuggle witchcraft items

Dubai: Dubai Customs has foiled several attempts to smuggle objects used in black magic like animal skins and blood, talismans, bones, hair and amulets.

In a major smuggling attempt, Dubai Customs suspected a bag of a passenger coming from an Arab country last year. Officers found 4kg of items used in black magic like sorcery books, and notes.

According to Khalid Ahmad, director of Passengers Operations Management at Terminal 1, officers seized objects weighing 68.4kg between 2018 to 2020 in 35 smuggling attempts. He said that Dubai Customs will stand against anyone trying to smuggle such objects as it is punishable by the UAE’s law. “Items that could be associated with sorcery or black magic are prohibited under a decree by the GCC Financial and Economic Cooperation Committee. Attempts to bring these prohibited materials into the country in various ways are considered smuggling in accordance with the unified customs law,” said Ahmad.

He said that confiscated sorcery objects included knives, needles, ampoules full of animal blood and other liquids, animal hair, bones, pieces of metal, rings, and sorcery books. According to article 316 of the UAE’s Penal Code, smuggling black magic objects are subject to prison terms and fine or both punishments.

Ahmad said that 47.6kg of witchcraft items that could have been used for deception of others were seized in 2018. Another 12.9kg were confiscated from passengers in 2019 and 7.9kg last year. “Well-trained customs officers depend primarily on their skills in reading body language of passengers to detect who might be carrying such items before screening and manually checking luggage,” added Ahmad.

Officers also train with help from the Department of Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities in Dubai. “The confiscated items first store in warehouses and later referred to relevant authorities to be dealt with in proper way.”

In 2018, a woman who came from an African country, was caught carrying 10.8kg of black magic items. In 2019, another passenger coming from the same African country was caught trying to smuggle 8.4kg of objects and books associated with black magic.