Five individuals have been arrested at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) this morning (28) after authorities allegedly discovered a large consignment of ‘Hashish’ and ‘Kush’ narcotics valued at approximately Rs. 72.2 million.
The group was arrested by officers attached to the Airport Police Narcotics Bureau while attempting to leave the airport after arriving on a flight from Bangkok, Thailand, at around 4:30 a.m.
The suspects, all believed to be around 30 years of age and residents of Kegalle.
The group had concealed 6.110 kilograms of ‘Hashish’ and 11.062 kilograms of ‘Kush’ inside 15 glass bottles, according to investigators. The bottles had been packed in plastic bags printed with the branding of the airport's duty-free shopping complex to disguise the narcotics as legitimate duty-free purchases.
The suspects are scheduled to be produced before the Negombo Magistrate's Court, while further investigations are being carried out by the Airport Police Narcotics Bureau.
