A Chinese female passenger carrying a stock of Chinese-manufactured cigarettes valued at around Rs. 3,060,000, which had been smuggled into the country, was arrested in the early hours today (03) at Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA).
The arrest was made by officers of the Police Narcotics Bureau's Katunayake Airport Unit while she was attempting to leave the airport.
The suspect is a 44-year-old beautician from Zhejiang Province, China, said Ada Derana reporter.
She had purchased the cigarettes in China and travelled to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, before arriving at BIA on Malaysia Airlines flight MH179.
During an inspection of her luggage and backpack, officers discovered 102 cartons containing a total of 20,400 cigarette sticks of various Chinese brands concealed inside.
The suspect and the stock of cigarettes are scheduled to be produced before the Negombo Magistrate's Court today.
Further investigations are being conducted into the incident.
