Rahul Samantha Hettiarrachchi
A Chinese national was arrested by Airport Customs officials today (26) along with a stock of foreign-manufactured cigarettes illegally brought into the country.
The 40-year-old suspect reportedly arrived in Sri Lanka from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, aboard AirAsia flight AK-047. He had concealed 201 cartons containing 40,200 Chinese-manufactured cigarettes inside his two travel bags.
The seized cigarettes are valued at Rs. 6,030,000. The suspect had attempted to carry the stock through the “Green Channel” (Nothing to Declare) at the Katunayake Airport Arrivals Terminal.
He was taken into custody following an inspection conducted by the Airport Customs officials. Katunayake Airport Customs officers are conducting further investigations into the matter.
