Customs thwart air passenger smuggling Rs. 5.1Mn worth cigarettes

11 September 2024 10:30 pm Views - 960

Colombo, September 11 (Daily Mirror)- An attempt to smuggle in illegal cigarettes worth over Rs.5.1 million by an inbound passenger was thwarted by the Sri Lanka Customs at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) this morning. 

Customs officials at the BIA Arrival Terminal searched a passenger on suspicion and found that he was trying to leave the airport through the ‘nothing to declare’ green channel. 

They found 34,000 sticks of two brands of cigarettes in 172 cartons concealed in his baggage, which has a street value of around Rs. 5,160,000. 

According to Customs sources the local passenger was identified as a businessman residing in Colombo who was returning from Dubai on Fits Air flight 8D 822. 

Customs Director BIA Padmini Kumarihamy and the team conducted the inquiries. The suspect was released on a cash bail of Rs. 200,000, while the cigarettes were forfeited.