Customs seize Rs.144Mn worth cigarette stocks sent from Cambodia, Dubai

• The consignments had been declared as used clothes and cashew
• consignment from Dubai found to be a popular brand in Australia

By Kurulu Koojana Kariyakarawana   

Sri Lanka Customs yesterday displayed a massive cigarette stock worth over Rs.144 million, which was seized recently after they arrived in the country from Cambodia and Dubai as used clothes and cashew.   

Customs Revenue Task Force (RTF) officials displayed the seized counterfeit cigarettes from two separate detections at the RTF cargo inspection yard in the Rank Container Terminal at Orugodawatta.   

The RTF first intercepted a 20-foot suspicious container arriving in the Colombo port from Cambodia, which had been declared as used clothes.   

When the sleuths opened the container to search they could find several crates carrying clothes but when they dug deep a large consignment of cigarettes emerged from within the container.   

Customs Spokesman Senior Director Seevali Arukgoda said the contraband consisted of 3, 997, 600 (3.9 million) sticks of counterfeit cigarettes, worth over Rs.99, 438, 750 (99 million).   
During the second detection the RTF sleuths in Katunayake seized another consignment of illegal cigarettes, which had arrived at the Air Cargo Examination Terminal at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA).   

The consignment arriving from Dubai had been declared as cashew in a transshipment to Australia, the Customs officials found that the type of counterfeit cigarettes were a popular brand in Australia. The contraband consisted of 1,800, 000 sticks of cigarettes worth over Rs.45, 078, 557 (4.5 million).   
Customs Chief Sarath Nonis, Director Customs RTF Nimal Samaratunga and senior officials were present at the goods display.