Two businessmen held at BIA with smuggled cigarettes
August 19, 2025 11:59 am
Two persons have been arrested at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in Katunayake earlier today (19), while attempting to smuggle foreign-made cigarettes worth Rs. 5.94 million into the country.
The duo was arrested with the large consignment of foreign-made cigarettes by the Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) officers.
They had purchased the stock of cigarettes in Dubai and travelled to Sri Lanka onboard a flight from Kuwait.
The arrested duo has been identified as businessmen from Trincomalee aged 33 and 45 years.
They were in possession of 198 cartons containing 39,600 cigarettes at the time of the arrest.
The suspects and the smuggled cigarettes are to be produced before the Negombo Magistrate’s Court.
