Qatar has foiled some 50 attempts to smuggle drugs through its airport this year, most recently catching a woman transiting through Doha with 6,000 pills, officials have said.

The country, which prevented 280 such attempts last year, has acknowledged that it is becoming an increasingly popular transit point for drug trafficking, and has been stepping up efforts to combat the problem at both its border and airport. 

The Peninsula reports:

The woman caught in the latest case was traveling on the passport of an Arab country. Looking at her, customs officials at the arrival terminal of the Doha International Airport suspected foul play and referred her to the Anti-Drug Enforcement Directorate personnel…

(The) Customs department has beefed up the scanning of the baggage of the passengers by installing an updated foolproof machine to foil any attempt of drug traffickers, said (Khalid Hamad Al Kaabi, head of the Customs Department). 

Late last month, Qatar stopped traffickers coming from Saudi Arabia via the Abu Samra border from transporting some 53kg of hashish that had been hidden inside the tires of their vehicle.

Thoughts on why the country has become a hub for such nefarious activities?

Credit: Photo by Neric Blein