Sierra Leone passenger who swallowed Rs.40Mn worth cocaine busted at BIA

By Kurulu Koojana Kariyakarawana   

A Sierra Leone passenger attempting to enter the country by swallowing 59 pellets containing cocaine worth over Rs.40 million was arrested by Sri Lanka Customs at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA).   

The suspect had arrived in the country on Tuesday morning on Turkish Airlines flight TK 730 from Istanbul and had tried to use the green channel to exit the airport when he was stopped on suspicion, Customs Spokesman Additional Director General Seevali Arukgoda said.   

The Customs Narcotic Control Unit officials who were stationed at the BIA Arrival Terminal had admitted the passenger to the Negombo Hospital, where 17 pellets containing cocaine had initially been retrieved from the foreigner throughout Tuesday.   

A senior Customs narcotic detective told the Daily Mirror the suspect was handed over to the Police Narcotic Bureau (PNB) yesterday morning as the foreigner had to be further detained with a court order to retrieve more pellets.   

The 32-year-old suspect in his initial statement had claimed that he had swallowed 59 pellets containing cocaine. By last evening when this edition went to press the officials with the assistance of hospital authorities had been able to retrieve 56 pellets containing close to about 1 kilo of cocaine.   

The already seized drugs had been valued at Rs.40 million as a gram of cocaine has a street value of Rs.40,000.   
The detective said it was the foreigners first visit to Sri Lanka, and he had been paid to operate as a narcotic carrier, he was supposed to be received by a local operative from the major syndicate.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the arrested suspect is linked to the earlier Sierra Leone foreigner who was nabbed by the PNB at the Pinnaduwa Interchange of the Southern Expressway a week ago with cocaine.   
The passenger will be further detained for inquiries by the PNB.