Customs detects Rs.85Mn worth fags smuggled in by BOI registered company

• Goods declared as machinery items of a BOI company

By Kurulu Koojana Kariyakarawana   

Sri Lanka Customs detected a massive stock of counterfeit  cigarettes worth over Rs.85 million, which had been smuggled in from  China by a company registered with the Board of Investment (BOI) falsely  declared as machinery items.   

Customs officials at the Cargo Verification Centre (CVT) in  Orugodawatta on suspicion opened up a container to examine, which had  been declared as machinery items of a BOI company.   

Customs Spokesman Senior Director Sudaththa Silva told the  Daily Mirror the officers who examined the container didn’t find any  machinery items within but a large metal box. When the authorities cut  and opened the metal box, they found the contraband lying inside.   

The officials found 556,000 sticks of cigarettes of  different brands consisting  multiple cartons, which had been valued at  Rs.85, 063, 885. The government would have incurred a loss of Rs.75,079,455 (Rs.75 million) in tax revenue if the Customs had missed this  detection, the Spokesman said.   

 Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspected BOI Company has two directors, a local and a Chinese national.   

Senior Director Silva said the Customs Revenue Task Force  (RTF) had taken over the inquiries and are investigating to determine  the syndicate behind the smuggling attempt. Customs Director General and  other top officials are monitoring the investigations.