Rs.2.5Bn worth drugs busted by Customs Narcotic Control in 2023

By Kurulu Koojana Kariyakarawana   

One of the country’s top drug-busting bodies setup at the airport to detect the flow of illicit intoxicants, the Customs Narcotic Control Unit has seized drugs worth over Rs.2.5 billion during last year,made another recent detection at the Central Mail Exchange (CME).   

Officials of the Customs Narcotic Control Unit stationed at the CME last week intercepted 11 suspicious parcels sent via airmail from Germany and the United Kingdom to local addressees in Colombo, Nugegoda, Panadura, Anuradhapura and Kandy.   

The Customs sleuths with the backing of the Postal Department officials at the CME opened the packages to find Rs.13 million worth of Methamphetamine tablets and an expensive variety of cannabis in them.   

Senior Director of Custom Seevali Arukgoda said the Narcotic Control Unit had seized a range of illicit drugs from Cocaine, Heroin, Hashish, Kush and Ecstasy in 81 detections at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) as well as the CME worth over Rs.2.5 billion during last year.   

The drugs seized last week were handed over to the Police Narcotic Bureau (PNB) officials at the Customs Headquarters last evening.   

-The Narcotic Control Unit has seized a range of illicit drugs from  Cocaine, Heroin, Hashish, Kush and Ecstasy in 81 detections at the  Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) as well as the CME worth over  Rs.2.5 billion during last year