Nearly 30 grams of 24‑carat gold valued at approximately Rs. 2.8 million was found in the possession of two women detained alongside a group suspected of attempting to smuggle gold from Sri Lanka to India on Wednesday. 

A customs inquiry into the pair is currently underway.

Customs officials said samples of around 520 grams of a substance suspected to be liquid gold, seized from two other suspects, have been sent for laboratory testing. 

Four more suspects remain under observation at the Jaffna Teaching Hospital until they expel suspected gold substances from their bodies.

Meanwhile, 18 passengers were released yesterday after examinations confirmed no hidden items were discovered.

The incident stems from the detention of 26 passengers, including 17 Indians, three Sri Lankan men and six Sri Lankan women, at Kankesanthurai Port on Wednesday (17). 

Acting on intelligence, Sri Lanka Customs intercepted the group as they prepared to board ferry SG423 bound for Nagapattinam, India. 

Two passengers were initially found with gold, prompting authorities to refer all 26 to the Jaffna Teaching Hospital for further examination.

Customs officials said investigations into the suspects are continuing. (Newswire)

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An individual has been arrested with a stock of gold items and electronic equipment illegally brought into the country, based on Army intelligence.

Airport Police apprehended the suspect, a resident of Wellampitiya, who arrived from Dubai on 30 December 2025.

He was found to be carrying gold, mobile phones, and computer equipment without paying customs duties. 

The suspect has been handed over to Customs for further investigations. (Newswire)

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Three individuals, including a woman, were brought before a Malaysian court on charges of arranging the smuggling of a Sri Lankan national in July.

The accused — Malaysians G. Santhiya Darshini, 27, and Janarthanan Appupillai, 46, along with Sri Lankan national Vtheewaran Palani, 48 — acknowledged understanding the charge, which was read in Tamil before the Judge. No plea was recorded, as the case falls under the jurisdiction of the High Court.

The trio is accused of arranging the smuggling of a Sri Lankan migrant through Terminal 1 of Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) on July 10. They were charged under Section 26C of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007, read with Section 34 of the Penal Code. If convicted, they face up to 15 years’ imprisonment, a fine, or both.

Meanwhile, 21-year-old Sri Lankan national Antany Sujan Antany Ranjan was charged with using a false passport in another person’s name to facilitate migrant smuggling at the KLIA international departure gate.

He was charged under Section 26E of the same Act, which carries a penalty of seven to 15 years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to RM500,000, or both. No plea was recorded.

Deputy Public Prosecutors Anisah Pisol and Norhidayah Abdullah Sani opposed bail and requested all cases be transferred to the Shah Alam High Court. The court approved the transfer. (TheStar/Newswire)

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An individual has been taken into custody by airport customs officials with 35 kilograms of gold valued at Rs. 01.1 billion, which was brought into the country illegally.

The gold had reportedly been concealed in nine specially designed devices resembling motor vehicle spare parts, as well as in the suspect’s travel bag.

The suspect is a 32-year-old businessman residing in the Grandpass area.

He had arrived at the Katunayake Airport at 8:40 am yesterday on Emirates flight EK-650 from Dubai.

It is reported that he was in possession of 195 gold biscuits and 13 kilograms of gold jewellery.

Airport customs officials are conducting further investigations into the matter. (Newswire)

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Two Sri Lankans have been apprehended at the Katunayake Airport for attempting to smuggle in 6.7 kgs of gold valued at Rs. 210 million.

The suspects, a 26-year-old from Grandpass and a 46-year-old from Kandy, had been arrested by the Criminal Investigations Department officials upon arrival from Dubai yesterday.

They had concealed the gold among vehicle spare parts, but had been detected at the airport’s ‘Red Channel’ designated for businessmen. 

Upon inspection, Customs Officials had found the stock of gold. Further investigations are underway. (Newswire)

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Three individuals, including a Customs Officer, have been arrested for attempting to smuggle in foreign cigarettes worth Rs. 9 million. 

The suspects had been arrested while attempting to leave the Katunayake Airport with the cigarettes. 

A businessman and his assistant had arrived from Dubai along with the foreign cigarettes. 

The Customs Officer had then entered the airport with his official identification card and attempted to take the consignment of cigarettes out of the airport.

However, officials from the Police Narcotics Unit (PNB) foiled their plan, arresting them at the airport premises. 

The PNB officials had seized 300 cartons of foreign cigarettes from the suspects’ possession. 

The suspects are due to be produced before Negombo magistrate’s Court today. (Newswire)

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A 44-year-old businessman was arrested early this morning (09) at Bandaranaike International Airport for attempting to smuggle in goods worth approximately Rs. 10 million without declaring the goods to customs. 

The individual had tried to bypass customs by using the “Green Channel,” which is designated for passengers who have nothing to declare.

The suspect, a businessman from Negombo, is reportedly involved in the import and sale of goods via air travel. 

Upon inspection, customs officials discovered 152 smartphones, 5 tablets, 38 bottles of various brands of whiskey, 44 electronic cigarettes, and a large quantity of regular cigarettes concealed in his four pieces of luggage.

The businessman is currently being held in custody as further investigations are being conducted. (Newswire)

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The Thissamaharama Magistrate’s Court has imposed a fine on two Italians for attempting to carry various species of insects, including dragonflies, captured in a forest area near the Yala Forest Reserve, back to Italy.

According to media reports, the arrested individuals, a 58-year-old man and his 28-year-old son, were imposed a fine of over Rs. 60 million, the highest fine to be imposed by the Thissamaharama Magistrate’s Court.

Upon being inquired if the fine could be paid immediately, the accused’s lawyer informed the court that they were incapable of settling the fine in part or full.

Taking into consideration the facts, the Court ordered the accused to settle the fine before 29 September 2024.

The court also ordered that the two men will not be permitted to leave the country until they pay the fine. (Newswire)

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Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps seized a Togo-flagged tanker carrying 1,500 tons of marine gas oil, with crew members of Sri Lankan origin, last week. 

British security firm Ambrey said last Monday the vessel had loaded marine gas oil off the coast of Iraq and was destined for UAE’s Sharjah when it was intercepted on Sunday, 61 nautical miles southwest of Iran’s port of Bushehr.

The Navy confirmed the seizure in a statement quoted by Iran’s state news agency, saying: “The tanker was systematically engaged in fuel smuggling … and was seized in the depths of Bushehr’s coast by judicial order.”

“The vessel, along with its 12 crew members of Indian and Sri Lankan nationals, has been transferred to Bushehr anchorage and is under supervision,” it added.

Fuel prices in Iran are among the lowest globally, increasing the profitability of smuggling operations.

However, experts previously said that Iran’s circumvention of oil sanctions is among the main reasons for the worsening phenomenon of fuel smuggling.

Iran’s Nour News Agency said last December that fuel smuggling was estimated at 20 million litres per day, equivalent to $5 billion. (Newswire/ Aawsat)

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The Sri Lanka Navy has seized a local multi-day fishing trawler and apprehended 05 suspects involved in the smuggling of several bird and reptile species. 

In a significant crackdown on wildlife smuggling, the Sri Lanka Navy deployed the Coast Guard ship Suraksha for the operation in the southern waters on Sunday (July 07).

The Sri Lanka Navy and the Coast Guard continuously carry out operations to combat a wide range of smuggling rackets along the country’s seas and coastlines.

According to the Sri Lanka Navy, this operation was conducted based on a comprehensive information analysis by Naval Intelligence over an extended period, focusing on a smuggling racket of birds and reptiles. 

Upon inspection of the suspicious trawler in the southern waters, a variety of 13 pythons, 01 monitor lizard, 01 tortoise and 03 parrots were found, raising concerns over an act of wildlife smuggling. Thus, the fishing trawler, along with 05 suspects, was taken into custody.

The multi-day fishing trawler was escorted to the Galle harbour on Tuesday, where officials of the Department of Wildlife Conservation examined the animals and identified them as non-native species to Sri Lanka. 

The multi-day trawler, which was held on the charges of wildlife smuggling, had left Negombo for fishing activities. The suspects held in this operation were identified as residents of Negombo and Kochchikade, who are from 34 to 67 years of age.

The apprehended suspects along with the trawler and animals were handed over to the Department of Wildlife Conservation – Hikkaduwa for legal action.

The Navy said it is believed that these animals were smuggled, either to be brought into the country from abroad or to be sent to another destination. (Newswire)

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Two passengers were arrested at the Katunayake Airport on Tuesday for attempting to smuggle in gold jewellery worth Rs. 100 million.

According to Sri Lanka Customs, the two passengers were found to be in possession of gold jewellery weighing around 5 kilos. 

The suspects had arrived at the Katunayake Airport from Dubai, UAE early last morning.

The two suspects have been identified as residents of Ambalangoda and Jaffna. (NewsWire)

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Two persons have been arrested with 09 kilos of gold that had been illegally smuggled into Sri Lanka via air.

According to Sri Lanka Customs, the gold was seized by Customs officials at the Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayake today.

It is reported that one suspect was a passenger who had arrived from India, while the other was an employee of an airline.

The suspects had smuggled the gold under the guise of credit cards, gel, as well as jewellery. (NewsWire)

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Four suspects have been apprehended with several illegally smuggled items, including electronic equipment, worth Rs. 30 million.

The Police stated that the four suspects were arrested at the Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayake.

The group had illegally smuggled electronic equipment, including 81 laptops and mobile phones.

The suspects had also illegally smuggled foreign liquor and cigarettes into Sri Lanka. (NewsWire)

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Sri Lanka Customs has decided to impose maximum penalties on those smuggling restricted items, including gold and electronic items, it was reported.

According to media reports, maximum penalties are to be imposed on those smuggling over 100 grams of gold and substantial quantities of restricted items, including mobile phones.

A Customs official said the measures are being taken to address escalating revenue losses.

A recent report from the Parliamentary Committee on Ways and Means highlighted a loss of 1.4 billion rupees in recent times, attributing it to discretionary powers granted to customs officers in determining fines for smuggling restricted goods into the country.

The committee also revealed a surge in the smuggling of gold, mobile phones, and other valuable items over the past three years following import restrictions.

Since June 2023 individuals caught bringing in restricted valuable items could face fines three times the value of the goods or a 100,000 rupees penalty.

It was reported that as of October 31, customs had collected Rs. 760 billion in revenue, with expectations that total customs revenue for the year would surpass Rs. 925 billion. (NewsWire) 

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Five suspects have been arrested at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in Katunayake for attempting to smuggle out gold from Sri Lanka.

According to Sri Lanka Customs, the suspects were arrested at the departure terminal of the BIA with 8.65kg of gold.

The suspects are reported to have attempted to smuggle out the gold in gel and dust form. 

The Sri Lanka Customs stated that the value of the stash is estimated to be around Rs.164 million. (NewsWire)

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Five individuals have been apprehended for attempting to smuggle out 5.56 kilos of gold to India. 

Based on a tip-off, Sri Lanka Customs arrested the suspects while inside the aircraft preparing to leave for Chennai, India.

The group is reported to have concealed the gold in gel form within their bodies.

According to Sri Lanka Customs, the seized gold is valued at around Rs. 107 million.

The suspects have been identified as Colombo-based businessmen. (NewsWire)

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A 43-year-old Sri Lankan national has been arrested for having illegally smuggled nearly 06.996 kilos of gold into the country.

The Police stated that the suspect was arrested upon his arrival at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in Katunayake from Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The suspect was apprehended following a raid conducted by officials of the Anti-Narcotics Unit at the airport last morning (May 07).

The Police stated that the suspect had concealed the illegally smuggled gold in his body.

Gold biscuits weighing 04.942 kilos and gold jewellery weighing 02.54 kilos had been retrieved from the suspect. 

The Police stated that the suspect has been identified as a resident of Sri Sangaraja Mawatha in Colombo 10.

He has been handed over to the Customs Officials at the Airport for further investigations. (NewsWire)

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