Upon boarding the plane at Barcelona airport, I spent my last 10 minutes scouring the internet to determine whether or not I could fly my drone at the Pyramids. Unfortunately, the articles I stumbled upon made it clear that drones were strictly prohibited in Egypt, and anyone caught using one would face a hefty fine and up to seven years in prison. I felt uncertain about what to do next, given that I had packed my drone in my carry-on luggage and was about to land in a conservative Muslim country with little knowledge about its customs and regulations. Should I dispose of it hastily? Hand it over to the airport staff? Declare it?
When I arrived, I decide I was going to declare my drone and plead ignorance. A man in a suit, sporting an official lanyard ID, approached me in the arrivals area and directed me towards the exit. I followed him and loaded my belongings into the designated area, and nervously asked if it was acceptable to include my drone in the baggage. He assuaged my fears, stating that all items were permitted to go through without any issues.
As I approached the airport X-ray machine, I placed my bag and suitcase onto the conveyor belt. Suddenly, I heard commotion in Arabic and then in English, “Whose bag is this? Is this yours, sir?” I replied in the affirmative, and they continued, “There is a drone in here. Did you know that it is illegal to bring a drone into Egypt?”
The official looking man in the suit with the Lanyard quicky moved away, at that moment, I realised he was not an airport official at all, he was just a touts trying to get me in his taxi and drop me off to one of the hotels he partners with to make a commission. I would have never entered this way with my drone if I knew he wasn’t an official!
Immediately, they instructed me to sit down and asked me to open my bag and hand over the drone. It was an anxious wait as several different individuals approached me, speaking rapidly in Arabic. After a tense 20-minute wait, two security guards escorted me out of the main area of the airport and led me to a dilapidated and shady back area that seemed to be out of an ’80s movie.
As we entered the room, I observed another man with his suitcase open, filled to the brim with cigarettes, and another individual with a bag overflowing with cash. I felt my heart racing as I realised the gravity of my situation. “Oh my God,” I thought to myself. “I am in serious trouble here.”
After waiting for a while longer, I was escorted by the airport police to a door. Upon entering the room, I found a customs official sitting at his desk. The room was dimly lit, and smoke filled the air. He reclined in a relaxed manner with a cigarette in his hand, flanked by two guards on each side. Behind him, hung the Egyptian flag. It felt like a scene straight from a mafia movie. It was evident that he was the head of the operation, the top-ranking official, the bigwig. He gestured towards a seat and said, “Please, sit down”
“So you thought you could bring a drone into the country?, What is the purpose of this? What is the purpose of your trip?”
I was a bit taken back and explained I was there for tourism, he then asked about my job and what I did back in Australia, then took my passport from me.
He then read the brief of my papers nodding his head while glancing back at me. He then signed the papers and said, “Welcome to Egypt” with that I was then taken to a fourth room where my passport was handed back and I had to sign papers saying my drone had been confiscated and was going to be left in storage until I leave the country, I felt so relieved.
I was able to leave the airport the following morning after being detained, in fact I did not get out of the airport till around 1am.
I spent a month in Egypt, made some vlogs, met some great people and have many stories to tell. However, lets cut that part out and focused on what happened when I left the airport.
I was told I had to be at the airport at least 3 hours early with my paperwork to collect my drone. I had absolutely no information on where to go. So I headed to the office where the drone was taken off me and put in storage. However, I was not able to enter due to this area only being connected for people who are arriving at the airport on planes and leaving. I then attempted to communicate to many of the officials, no one had any idea of what to do.
Finally I went to the check in desk with the airline I was flying with and they directed me to the customs office who directed me upstairs to another office. Finally we were getting somewhere, however the time was ticking away, by this stage I had only 2 hours till my plane was about to leave … They sat me down and made me wait and took my paperwork. They then said I had to fill out some forms and get a photo taken to get an official identity made up. Once this was made I was down to 40 minutes till my plane left. I don’t have to explain the stress I was feeling by this point.
Now that I had my ID made, he said I needed to go to another terminal, I couldn’t believe it. How am I meant to get to another terminal then get back here in time to get my drone. I quickly went outside and found a taxi driver, he was a shady dishonest character who could see I was under pressure and tried to charge me a HUGE amount just to get to the other part of the airport.
Ultimately at this stage, I had to make the decision. Do I lose my $700(aud) for my plane ticket, or do I lose my $1000(aud) drone? I went with losing the drone.
Honesty, after speaking to the friends I had made and looking up stories online, this is a very common thing to happen, in fact the word on the street is that the men in the customs office take the unclaimed drones and camera gear and sell it.
