Two arrested with foreign cigarettes worth over Rs. 5 million at BIA

Two suspects, including a woman, have been arrested for smuggling a large consignment of foreign cigarettes valued at around Rs. 5.88 million into the country.

The suspects have been arrested by a group of officers from the Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) this morning (March 6).

The arrested suspects are residents of the Nittambuwa area.

The 42-year-old woman had arrived at BIA from Dubai at 12.00 a.m. this morning to bring in the stock of foreign cigarettes, while the male suspect, a 23-year-old man who works in an apartment building in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE), arrived from Sharjah at 04.40 a.m., police said.

A total of 196 cigarette cartons containing 39,200 sticks of foreign cigarettes were found in their luggage.

The suspects have been released on bail and are scheduled to be produced before the Negombo Magistrate’s Court on March 12.