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Dubai Customs foil largest neswar smuggling attempt
Dubai: Dubai Customs in Jebel Ali have foiled an attempt to smuggle in 28.3 tonnes of tobacco derivative, neswar, making it one of the largest seizures of banned toxic substances in the emirate.
Neswar is a smokeless tobacco product from Pakistan that is placed behind the lips to give a user a high that reportedly does not compare with any other addictive substance. While research into the product is scant, it is believed that neswar was invented by a certain tribe in northern Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Ahmad Mahboub Musabbah, the Executive Director of Customers Management at Dubai Customs, said the shipment came from an Asian country and was hidden in 375 bags to mislead customs officials.
Musabbah said the owner of the cargo was an Asian national who tried to deceive authorities by hiding his container behind other companies’ in Jebel Ali.
The owner then brought an empty container to transfer the banned substances secretly until inspectors foiled his attempt.
Musabbah added that the seized quantity was huge, which is a great achievement for Dubai Customs.
Sale and production of neswar is banned in the country. The product is highly addictive due to the tobacco powder infused into it.
“The addiction is the same with any tobacco product,” Dr Sreekumar Sreedharan, specialist physician at Aster Clinic and a smoking cessation advocate, told Gulf News.
“People believe that because it doesn’t produce smoke and does not get into the lungs, it is safe to use. It isn’t,” he added.
Because neswar is placed in the mouth for long periods, the product directly affects the mouth and could increase the risks of oral, oesophageal, and peptic cancer, according to a 2011 study conducted by the Department of Pharmacy at the University of Peshawar in Pakistan.
The study revealed that about fifty per cent of the total oral cancer cases reported in Pakistan was attributable to neswar usage.
The study looked at the toxic constituents and carcinogens in the product such as cadmium, arsenic, lead and other carcinogenic metals, nitrite and nitrate and nicotine. The most worrying, however, were the cadmium and lead, according to the study.
The study urged the Pakistani government to make proper regulations against the substance to avoid its adverse effects on users.
Dubai Customs foil largest neswar smuggling attempt | GulfNews.com
Dubai: Dubai Customs in Jebel Ali have foiled an attempt to smuggle in 28.3 tonnes of tobacco derivative, neswar, making it one of the largest seizures of banned toxic substances in the emirate.
Neswar is a smokeless tobacco product from Pakistan that is placed behind the lips to give a user a high that reportedly does not compare with any other addictive substance. While research into the product is scant, it is believed that neswar was invented by a certain tribe in northern Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Ahmad Mahboub Musabbah, the Executive Director of Customers Management at Dubai Customs, said the shipment came from an Asian country and was hidden in 375 bags to mislead customs officials.
Musabbah said the owner of the cargo was an Asian national who tried to deceive authorities by hiding his container behind other companies’ in Jebel Ali.
The owner then brought an empty container to transfer the banned substances secretly until inspectors foiled his attempt.
Musabbah added that the seized quantity was huge, which is a great achievement for Dubai Customs.
Sale and production of neswar is banned in the country. The product is highly addictive due to the tobacco powder infused into it.
“The addiction is the same with any tobacco product,” Dr Sreekumar Sreedharan, specialist physician at Aster Clinic and a smoking cessation advocate, told Gulf News.
“People believe that because it doesn’t produce smoke and does not get into the lungs, it is safe to use. It isn’t,” he added.
Because neswar is placed in the mouth for long periods, the product directly affects the mouth and could increase the risks of oral, oesophageal, and peptic cancer, according to a 2011 study conducted by the Department of Pharmacy at the University of Peshawar in Pakistan.
The study revealed that about fifty per cent of the total oral cancer cases reported in Pakistan was attributable to neswar usage.
The study looked at the toxic constituents and carcinogens in the product such as cadmium, arsenic, lead and other carcinogenic metals, nitrite and nitrate and nicotine. The most worrying, however, were the cadmium and lead, according to the study.
The study urged the Pakistani government to make proper regulations against the substance to avoid its adverse effects on users.
Dubai Customs foil largest neswar smuggling attempt | GulfNews.com
