Sri Lanka Customs seized 3.38 million foreign cigarettes illegally imported into the country, concealed in a container declared as bedsheets.
The consignment was detected during an inspection of a suspicious container shipped from Dubai in November 2025, Customs said.
Investigations revealed that the shipment had been falsely declared in documentation as “bedsheets” in an attempt to evade detection.
Customs estimated the value of the seized cigarettes at Rs. 507 million, noting that the government had lost approximately Rs. 460 million in tax revenue due to the illegal import.
Further inquiries found that the container had been imported under the address of a private company based in Battaramulla. (NewsWire)