79-Year-Old Spanish National Arrested With Rs. 110 Million Cocaine Haul At BIA

COLOMBO (News 1st); A foreign national has been arrested by the Customs Narcotics Control Unit at Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayake with a stock of cocaine valued at nearly Rs. 110 million.

Customs said the suspect is a 79-year-old Spanish agricultural engineer.

He had arrived in Sri Lanka on the 22nd of July from Sierra Leone, travelling via Addis Ababa and Doha.

Customs officers had initially inspected his hand luggage and found nothing suspicious, he was allowed to leave the airport.

Customs stated that four parcels of cocaine, cleverly concealed inside two file holders, were discovered during the inspection of another bag belonging to him, which had arrived late. 

The suspect was arrested when he arrived to collect the bag.

The seized cocaine weighed 2 kilograms and 198 grams and has an estimated street value of Rs. 109.9 million.

Customs said preliminary investigations are underway and the suspect, along with the seized cocaine, is to be handed over to the Police Narcotics Bureau for further investigations.