The suspects, identified as businessmen of varying ages, had arrived at approximately 1:10 a.m. on a flight (MU-713) operated by China Eastern Airlines from Kunming, China.
Customs officers discovered a total of 34,800 Chinese-manufactured cigarettes concealed inside their luggage. The haul consisted of 174 cartons, with an estimated value of LKR 5.2 million.
The group was taken into custody by airport customs officials, who are continuing further investigations into the incident.
