A 27-year-old Canadian national was arrested by Sri Lanka Customs at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) early today (26) while allegedly attempting to smuggle more than 20 kilograms of hashish into the country.
According to Customs officials, the seized narcotics, weighing 20 kilograms and 117 grams, have an estimated street value of Rs. 201.89 million.
The suspect, who works as a painter, had reportedly purchased the narcotics in Toronto, Canada, before travelling via Doha, Qatar. He arrived at BIA aboard Qatar Airways flight QR-662 at around 2.30 a.m.
During an inspection of his two pieces of luggage, officers of the Customs Narcotics Control Unit discovered the brown-coloured hashish concealed in 80 slabs.
The suspect and the seized narcotics are to be handed over to the Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) at Katunayake Airport for further investigations.
