A foreign national has been arrested by airport customs officers earlier this morning (20) for illegally bringing a large consignment of China- manufactured cigarettes into the country.
The suspect is a 35-year-old Chinese businessman who, according to reports, has previously visited Sri Lanka on three occasions.
Investigations revealed that the suspect had purchased the cigarettes in China and transported them to Bangkok, Thailand, before arriving at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) at 12:55 a.m. today onboard Thai Airways flight TG-307.
Upon inspection, officers had discovered 229,800 cigarettes belonging to eight different brands, packed in 1,149 cartons, concealed within 13 pieces of luggage carried by the suspect.
The total value of the seized cigarettes is estimated at Rs. 34.47 million, Ada Derana reporter said.
