Passengers arriving in Sri Lanka from abroad are strictly prohibited from bringing cigarettes into the country, Sri Lanka Customs reiterated today.
In line with this regulation, Sri Lanka Customs destroyed 232,804,000 foreign cigarettes illegally brought in through the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) over the past four months. The destruction was carried out by burning at the Kerawalapitiya Waste-to-Energy Power Plant under the leadership of Sri Lanka Customs.
Customs said the seized cigarettes had an estimated market value of Rs. 305 million. If the consignment had entered the local market, the government would have suffered a tax revenue loss of approximately Rs. 271 million.
The destruction was conducted under the supervision of senior officials, including heads of the security divisions at BIA, Sri Lanka Customs Media Spokesperson and Customs Director Wandana Punchi Hewa.
