Rs. 50 Million Worth Foreign Cigarette Stock Seized at BIA Cargo Terminal

COLOMBO (News 1st): A stock of foreign-manufactured cigarettes valued at Rs. 50 million, which had been brought to the Katunayake Air Cargo Terminal to be smuggled to Australia via transit, was seized by officers of the Central Intelligence Unit of Sri Lanka Customs.

This stock is considered the largest consignment of cigarettes ever seized in the history of Katunayake Bandaranaike International Airport and its cargo terminal.

Customs investigations revealed that the consignment, falsely declared as towels and plastic cups, had been sent from Dubai on January 9 and 11, intended for delivery to London, Sydney, and Melbourne.

Upon inspection, Customs officers confirmed the stock contained 239,400 cigarettes. 

The stock was formally confiscated, and following legal procedures, handed over to the Ceylon Tobacco Company for destruction.

Customs Media Spokesperson and Additional Director General Seevali Arukgoda stated that Sri Lanka will not allow international smugglers to use the country as a hub for the distribution of illicit goods.

Meanwhile, two foreign nationals were arrested by officers of the Airport Police Narcotics Bureau for attempting to smuggle ‘Kush’ worth Rs. 100 million into the country.

The suspects, both Indian nationals, were taken into custody after completing all airport clearance procedures and attempting to remove the stock from the airport premises.