450 smuggled sheep seized in Al-Ain

Customs authorities in the eastern oasis town of Al Ain seized a driver who tried to smuggle 450 sheep from a neighbouring country in violation of rules imposed by the UAE to protect consumers, a newspaper said on Monday.

The 450 sheep were crammed in a truck and covered by wood planks in a way to mislead UAE customs inspectors into believing the vehicle is empty, the semi official Arabic language daily Alittihad said.

“The UAE truck driver was about to sneak into the UAE before customs officials suspected him…when they checked his vehicle, using sophisticated systems, they discovered the livestock,” it said.

The paper quoted Saeed Al Muhairi, director of customs at the Abu Dhabi Department of Finance, an attempt to smuggle sheep indicates they could be infected, adding that the driver wanted to dodge strict regulations imposed by the UAE on the import of livestock with the aim of protecting consumers.

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