A 46-year-old Indian national has been taken into Sri Lanka Customs custody at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) with 5.12 kg of cocaine and 13.17 kg of Ecstasy drugs, valued at approximately Rs. 454 million.
According to Sri Lanka Customs, the suspect, an engineer by profession, was apprehended by officers of the Customs Narcotics Control Unit (NCU) on Wednesday (28).
The suspect had arrived in Sri Lanka from Paris via Doha on Qatar Airways flight QR 654 when Customs officers detained him for further inspection.
During an examination of his luggage, officers discovered suspicious substances, which were subsequently identified as cocaine and Ecstasy.
Customs officials seized 5,121 grams of cocaine with an estimated street value of Rs. 256 million, along with 13,173 grams of Ecstasy, equivalent to approximately 23,000 tablets, valued at Rs. 198 million.
The total estimated street value of the seized narcotics is Rs. 454 million.
Sri Lanka Customs has commenced preliminary investigations into the incident.
The suspect, along with the seized narcotics and other relevant evidence, is expected to be handed over to the Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) for further investigations and legal action. (Newswire)