Oman customs thwart attempt to smuggle 16,000 alcoholic drinks

Omani police said on Sunday that they had seized a shipment of more than 16,000 bottles of alcohol at one of the country's major ports.

The drinks were seized at the Al-Wajajah port, Oman Customs said in a statement. The port is located close to Oman's border with the UAE.

Omani authorities frequently seize smuggled alcohol at its ports. An alcohol shipment of similar size was held by Omani customs in October.

Police also confiscate alcohol from the homes and vehicles of people suspected of selling smuggled drinks.

Drinking alcohol is permissible in Oman for adults aged 21 or over, and non-Muslim residents are able to obtain a licence to sell alcohol.

Like other Gulf countries, Oman introduced a 'sin tax' in 2019 that effectively doubled the price of already expensive alcoholic drinks.

In another seizure by Omani authorities, the coastguard confiscated more than 2,000kg of qat from smugglers in the Dhofar governorate bordering Yemen, police said on Sunday.