A Ugandan national has been arrested by officers of the Sri Lanka Customs Narcotics Control Unit for allegedly attempting to smuggle cocaine worth more than Rs. 50 million into Sri Lanka by swallowing around 90 capsules containing the drug.
The suspect, a 43-year-old Ugandan farmer, had reportedly swallowed the cocaine capsules in Entebbe, Uganda, before travelling to Doha, Qatar.
He subsequently had arrived at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) last morning (13) onboard Qatar Airways flight QR-664 and had remained on the first floor of the airport until noon.
Acting on intelligence received by the Customs Narcotics Control Unit, officers apprehended the suspect after he had taken out 13 of the cocaine capsules he had swallowed, while inside the airport.
The suspect was later handed over to officers of the Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) at the Katunayake Airport for further investigations and was admitted to the Negombo General Hospital to facilitate the recovery of the remaining cocaine capsules he had allegedly swallowed.
