Ever felt hassled at Dubai airport by the delay caused due to screening of drugs you carry? You may no longer need to feel bogged down now.

Lt-Gen. Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, Dubai Police Commander-in-Chief, yesterday launched a PC pocket device that will facilitate speedier identifying of suspect drugs at Dubai airport.

The device, named e-Lab, will assist airport staff in identifying, on the spot, illegal drugs or those that could be abused. The device has been devised by Habiba Al Safar, a Dubai Police expert.

“People travelling to Dubai often bring pills and tablets with them, not knowing if carrying them is legal or not. And it takes time to check them. But with e-Lab, we can now immediately find out about the status of the items in question. This will spare the traveller delay at the Dubai airport,” Lt-Gen. Dhahi Khalfan announced at Press conference at Dubai Police headquarters.

Meanwhile, Al Safar explained how the device operates. “E-Lab functions under a certain system, such as Windows XP, which runs a software programme containing information and images of drugs that can be abused,” she said.

Describing e-Lab further, Al Safar said the device had a search engine that allows individuals to look for the unidentified tablet under different criteria such as physical appearance and logo. It has a camera that captures the image of the drug, enabling the user to swiftly contact a forensic expert via MMS for more assistance,” she added. “The benefits of e-Lab are two-fold,” outlined Al Safar. “It will expedite the identification of unlawful drugs, and avoid unnecessary lengthy delays for those who need their medicines,” she explained.