Doha - (AFP) - The Customs Administration of Hamad International Airport has thwarted the smuggling of tramdol and narcotic cannabis, coinciding with the start of the FIFA World Cup, the Qatari authorities announced Monday.

The gas-rich Gulf state, which is very strict in combating drug trafficking and consumption, will host the first World Cup in the Middle East since Sunday, with more than a million people expected to visit until the final on December 18.

The Customs Administration wrote on Twitter, "The Customs Administration of Hamad International Airport thwarted the smuggling of tramdol and narcotic cannabis."

And she added, "The customs officer suspected the traveler's luggage, and when they were searched, 1990 tablets of tramdol were found, as well as the narcotic hashish, which weighed 464.5 grams."

A Qatari official told AFP, on condition of anonymity, that the concerned traveler, about whom no information was provided, will appear before the Public Prosecution.

The penalties imposed in Qatar for drug possession, consumption, or trafficking are very harsh, and include long prison terms, heavy fines, and expulsion of foreigners from the country.