A major drug bust took place at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in the early hours of today (07). Airport Police Narcotics Bureau officers intercepted a foreign passenger attempting to smuggle a massive haul of narcotics out of the country.
The seized consignment of Kush and Hashish has an estimated market value of approximately Rs. 231.42 million, according to reports.
Arrival from Malaysia
The traveller was identified by an Ada Derana reporter as a 37-year-old businessman residing in Tamil Nadu, India.
He reached the Bandaranaike International Airport around 12.00 a.m. today on Batik Air flight OD-297 touching down from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Toffee tins and parcels
Airport officials conducted a detailed check of his baggage and uncovered a clever concealment method. Inside four tins labelled as Tamarind Toffees, officers found 2 kilograms and 102 grams of Kush.
That was not all. Officers also recovered 5 kilograms and 260 grams of Hashish, which had been processed into toffee shapes and packed away in six separate parcels.
What happens next
The suspect and the confiscated narcotics are scheduled to be produced before the Negombo Magistrate's Court today to obtain detention orders for further investigations.
