Two passengers have been arrested at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in Katunayake for attempting to smuggle foreign-manufactured cigarettes out of the airport.
The seized stock of foreign-manufactured cigarettes is estimated to be worth of Rs. 6.75 million, Ada Derana reporter said.
The arrests were made by officers of the Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) at the airport yesterday (25).
One of the suspects is a 37-year-old Chinese businessman who arrived at the BIA from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, at 10.45 p.m. onboard AirAsia flight AK 047, Ada Derana reporter said.
A total of 75 cartons containing 15,000 sticks of cigarettes of various Chinese brands had been concealed in his luggage.
The other suspect is a 24-year-old businessman residing in Kolonnawa, Colombo, who had arrived from Dubai at 8.20 p.m. onboard flydubai flight FZ 549.
A total of 150 cartons containing 30,000 sticks of foreign-manufactured cigarettes had been concealed in three pieces of luggage he was carrying.
Both suspects have since been released on police bail and are scheduled to be produced before the Negombo Magistrate’s Court tomorrow (27).
