A 40-year-old Chinese businesswoman has been arrested by Customs officers at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), Katunayake, earlier today (29) for attempting to smuggle a large consignment of foreign-made cigarettes into Sri Lanka.
The suspect had arrived at around 12:30 a.m. onboard China Eastern Airlines flight MU-6017 from Kunming, China, and had attempted to leave the airport through the Green Channel, designated for passengers with nothing to declare, Ada Derana reporter said.
During an inspection of her luggage, Customs officers had discovered 140 cartons containing 28,000 sticks of Chinese-made cigarettes, which had been concealed inside her baggage.
The seized cigarettes are estimated to be worth Rs. 4.2 million, officials said.
The woman has been taken into custody, and Sri Lanka Customs has launched further investigations into the incident.
