Individual arrested at BIA with foreign cigarettes worth over Rs. 2.85 mln

A man was arrested at Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) while trying to bring in a large amount of foreign cigarettes worth about Rs. 2.85 million. The arrest happened as he tried to leave the airport using the “Green Channel,” which is meant for travelers with no goods to declare, according to an Ada Derana report. The 58-year-old suspect is a businessman from Divulapitiya. He had just arrived on a flight from Dubai that landed at 12:50 a.m. today. During a search, Customs officials found 95 cartons with 19,000 sticks of foreign cigarettes in his luggage, as reported by Ada Derana. Customs officials at Katunayake Airport are continuing to investigate the matter.