Chinese woman caught with Rs. 4.3M worth of

Sri Lanka Customs intercepted a haul of foreign cigarettes valued at approximately Rs. 4.3 million from a Chinese woman arriving from Kuala Lumpur.

According to Customs Spokesperson Sivali Arukgoda, 146 cartons containing nearly 29,200 individual cigarettes were seized from the woman, who arrived at Bandaranaike International Airport on flight MH0179.

He added that the government stands to lose substantial revenue of Rs. 3.3 million due to the illegal importation of these cigarettes.

Importing cigarettes into Sri Lanka without a valid license is against the law. Consequently, the contraband was confiscated by Sri Lanka Customs in accordance with the Customs Ordinance.

The Chinese national was released after paying a fine of Rs. 100,000.