73-year-old Indian arrested with Kush cannabis worth Rs. 23 million at BIA

A 73-year-old Indian national has been arrested at Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in Katunayake while attempting to smuggle a consignment of Kush cannabis valued at Rs. 23 million into the country.

The suspect, identified as a sales manager from India, had arrived in Sri Lanka at 11.00 a.m. aboard SriLankan Airlines flight UL-403 from Bangkok, Thailand. Acting on intelligence reports, officers of the Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) had been monitoring his movements and strategically planned the arrest.

During inspection, authorities discovered 1.908 kilograms of Kush concealed inside a round, oblong punching bag—typically used by boxers for training. The drugs were carefully hidden within the bag’s structure in an attempt to evade detection, the police said.

The suspect is currently in the custody of the Police Narcotics Bureau as investigations continue.

-Ada Derena