30 June 2023 09:35 am Views - 198
By Kurulu Koojana Kariyakarawana
Sri Lanka Customs have sent the seized contraband of gel like solution used by the five local traders to mix gold particles, which they tried to smuggle in rectum concealed in plastic capsules, to the Industrial Technology Institute (ITI) to determine its exact gold percentage.
The five suspects who were taken into custody on Tuesday had been released on a guarantee following the preliminary Customs inquiry.
An official attached to the Customs Narcotic Control Unit told the Daily Mirror yesterday that the gel like solution mixed with gold particles, which was weighing around 5, 650 grams (5.65Kg) concealed in 15 plastic capsules, had been dispatched to ITI for testing purposes.
The ITI will run necessary tests to determine the percentage of gold particles mixed in the gel found inside the plastic capsules and its exact weight, thus to determine the correct valuation of the seized gold, the official said.
The ITI testing procedure, which is common to this kind of detection, will however take about three to four days to release its results.
The Customs yesterday said the seized gold gel was approximately valued at Rs.107 million. However, once the correct valuation is determined, the suspects will be summoned again for the inquiry, he said.
Five local traders were nabbed by the Customs Narcotic Control Unit on Tuesday at the airport departure lounge, whilst attempting to leave for India with gold mixed with gel concealed in their person.