Sri Lankan authorities at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) intercepted a 48-year-old businessman from Piliyandala who attempted to smuggle a substantial quantity of counterfeit cigarettes into the country from Oman.
The apprehension took place this morning following a thorough search by Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) officials stationed at the BIA Arrival Terminal.
Acting on suspicion, PNB officials conducted a search on the male passenger, who had arrived on SalmanAir OV437 from Muscat. The search revealed 135 cartons and six packets, totaling 27,120 sticks of the 'Manchester' brand of cigarettes concealed in three of his bags. The estimated value of the seized counterfeit cigarettes is reported to be over Rs. 2.7 million.
The suspect is now in custody and has been identified as a 48-year-old businessman. The PNB has detained him for further inquiries into the attempted smuggling operation.
