Cocaine, Kush came as Whey Protein worth Rs.185Mn seized by Customs

• The drugs had been sent from Canada and the USA to two addresses in Kadawatha and Colombo about a month ago

By Kurulu Koojana Kariyakarawana

Cocaine and Kush worth over Rs.185 million, which had arrived in the country as a consignment of Whey Protein via air cargo was seized by Sri Lanka Customs yesterday afternoon.

Officials of the Customs Narcotic Control Unit made the detection at Colombo Cargo courier service in Seeduwa when they found the drugs carefully concealed in six large plastic bottles of the Golden Standard Whey Protein brand.

Customs Spokesperson cum Additional Director General Seevali Arukgoda said the consignment contained 2 kilograms and 30 grams of Cocaine and 2 kilograms and 177 grams of the Cannabis variety of Kush.

A gram of Cocaine has a street value of Rs.70,000 and a gram of Kush is Rs.20, 000. Thus, the narcotics had been valued at Rs.185,640,000.

Meanwhile, a senior detective at the Customs Narcotic Control Unit said the drugs had been sent from Canada and the USA to two addresses in Kadawatha and Colombo about a month ago.

Since the parcels looked suspicious, the Customs detained them until their consignees would turn up to clear the goods. The authorities in the meantime found the local addresses were false, as nobody came to clear the packages.

The contraband had been handed over to the Police Narcotic Bureau (PNB) for further investigations.