Yemen: Customs Foils Smuggling of Drones Manufacturing Technology

The Yemeni Customs Authority announced on Thursday the thwarting of two smuggling attempts involving 23 units of fiber optic cables and dual-use electronic technologies used in the manufacture and development of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), at the Al-Wadi’ah port in Hadhramaut Governorate and the Aden Free Zone customs office.

In a statement, the Authority clarified that Al-Wadi’ah customs officers successfully intercepted two smuggling attempts involving 23 units of fiber optic cables, which are advanced technologies used in UAV control systems.

The Authority noted that this equipment enables UAVs to resist electronic jamming, allows for the direct transmission of images and coordinates, and empowers operators to issue commands to drop munitions.

In a separate operation, Aden Free Zone customs officers, in cooperation with security and military authorities, seized six crates containing 3,687 pieces of dual-use materials.

The Authority stated that the seized items included Arduino boards, precision sensors, electronic control boards, sensors, and technical components that could be exploited in the manufacture and development of UAVs or other prohibited activities.

Yemeni Customs officials emphasized that these seizures are the result of efforts to qualify, train, and build the capacity of customs personnel, who are now able to detect and intercept restricted goods and dual-use items. This remains a priority to safeguard national security and prevent the arrival of technologies and materials that could be used to manufacture or develop UAVs, explosives, or for other illegal activities.