Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) officers at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in Katunayake have seized a large consignment of smuggled cigarettes, valued at around Rs. 2.1 million, and arrested a suspect at the arrival terminal this morning (15).
The arrested suspect has been identified as a 36-year-old businessman residing in Colombo 13.
The passenger in question had arrived from Mumbai, India onboard a SriLankan Airlines flight at 10.15 p.m. last night (14), however he had remained at the airport’s duty-free shopping complex until this morning and was arrested while attempting to exit the airport.
A total of 105 cartons containing 21,000 sticks of foreign-manufactured cigarettes were found concealed in his luggage.
The arrested passenger has been released on police bail and is scheduled to appear before the Negombo Magistrate’s Court on May 22.
https://www.adaderana.lk/news/99233/passenger-arrested-with-foreign-cigarettes-worth-rs-21m-at-bia
