Customs seize Rs.1.6 mn worth of illegal fags at BIA

An attempt to smuggle in a stock of illegal cigarettes worth over Rs.1.6 million by a passenger arriving from Dubai, was thwarted by Customs officials at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) last morning.

Customs sleuths stationed at the BIA Arrival Terminal stopped the passenger on suspicion when he tried to enter the country through the Customs ‘Nothing to Declare’ Green Channel with the contraband.

Acting Customs Spokesman Deputy Director Vipula Minuwanpitiya told the Daily Mirror that the individual had arrived in the country from Dubai on Emirates Flight EK 650 at around 8.35am local time.

The officials searched his baggage to find 148 cartons of a foreign brand of cigarettes, which had been carefully concealed under a false bottom.

Amongst the stock were 29, 600 sticks of illegal cigarettes, which the sale, distribution or consumption in Sri Lanka is entirely prohibited. The contraband had been valued at Rs.1, 628, 000 (1.6 million).

The preliminary investigations revealed that the 41-year-old suspect was a resident of Minuwangoda. The authorities suspect that a passenger had been used as a carrier to transport the contraband by the overseas smugglers. The customs detection was carried out by Superintendents Senaka Arawpola and I. S. Ismail with Assistant Superintendents J. H. S. P. Gunasiri, W. N. D. C. Welarathne, D. M. T. C. B. Dissanayake on the instructions of Deputy Directors

K. H. P. Kumarasiri, M. Rushandan and Customs Director BIA M. A. Karunarathna.

The suspect is to be detained until the Customs inquiry is concluded whilst the seized cigarettes would be confiscated.

Amongst the stock were 29, 600 sticks of illegal cigarettes, which the sale, distribution or consumption in Sri Lanka is entirely prohibited