Cairo airport customs officers foil attempt to smuggle ivory and drugs

Cairo International Airport customs officers arrested two foreign passengers, from Lebanon and Spain, who had attempted to smuggle ivory and drugs, respectively, into the country.

In the first case, customs officers manually inspected the luggage of a passenger arriving from the Lebanese capital, Beirut, and found pieces of ivory — the hard, white material of elephant tusks — weighing 16 kg.

Egyptian customs authorities said that it is prohibited to possess and trade ivory in accordance with Ministerial Resolution No. 1150 of 1999 implementing the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.

In the second case, customs officers stopped a woman arriving from Barcelona, Spain, in possession of a variety of drugs.

The items seized included several paper bags containing marijuana herb and seeds, a box containing a metal piece used to consume narcotic substances, a transparent bag containing narcotic substances, and a lollipop mixed with marijuana.

Cairo International Airport customs officers also foiled an attempt to smuggle bladed weapons into the country, with an officer stopping a passenger arriving from Tanzania’s Dar es Salaam carrying swords, daggers and other weapons in his bags.

Egyptian customs officials said it is prohibited to be in possession of these weapons in accordance with Law No. 394 of 1954.

Legal measures were taken, and the three passengers were referred for prosecution.