Sri Lanka Customs has seized a container carrying 457 cartons of cigarettes valued at Rs. 792 million, which had been brought from India in an attempt to smuggle them into the country using fraudulent import documentation.
The consignment had been falsely declared as paper products, including photocopy paper, in documents submitted to Customs in an attempt to conceal the actual contents of the container.
The raid was carried out by the Central Investigation Directorate of Sri Lanka Customs.
Investigations revealed that the consignment was intended to be imported through a company based in Kadana, which allegedly operated using fraudulent documentation.
One suspect has been arrested in connection with the attempted smuggling operation.
Sri Lanka Customs said it has strengthened its surveillance and enforcement mechanisms to prevent cigarettes and other prohibited or undeclared goods from being smuggled into the country through increasingly sophisticated methods.
