Latest news with #SriLankaCustoms
New Indian Express
3 days ago
- New Indian Express
Sri Lanka seizes largest cocaine haul at main airport
COLOMBO: Sri Lanka's customs authorities arrested on Friday a woman and seized the largest haul of cocaine ever detected at the country's main international airport, an official said. The unnamed 38-year-old Thai woman was carrying nearly 10 kilogrammes (22 pounds) of cocaine stuffed into three soft toys, Customs Additional Director-General Seevali Arukgoda said. "This is the biggest attempt at cocaine smuggling stopped by Sri Lanka Customs at the airport," Arukgoda said in a statement. Customs officials at Bandaranaike International Airport posed for photos with the cocaine, which had been neatly stuffed into just over 500 plastic capsules, with an estimated street value of $1.72 million. The seizure follows three other hauls this month totalling nearly 60 kilogrammes of synthetic cannabis. Three foreign nationals —- from Britain, India, and Thailand -- were arrested in separate cases. The Briton, identified as Charlotte May Lee, 21, a former cabin crew member from London, was produced before a magistrate on Friday and further remanded until June 13, court officials said. She was arrested on May 12 when officials discovered that her two suitcases were packed with 46 kilogrammes of kush, a synthetic drug. All four suspects, including the Thai woman arrested on Friday, could face life imprisonment if convicted. Sri Lankan authorities have previously seized large quantities of heroin off the country's shores, suggesting the island is being used as a transit hub for narcotics destined for other locations. In October, a Sri Lankan court sentenced 10 Iranian men to life imprisonment after they pleaded guilty to smuggling more than 111 kilogrammes of heroin. In 2023, nine Iranians received life sentences in a separate drug smuggling case. Sri Lanka's largest single seizure of narcotics occurred in December 2016, when Customs found 800 kilogramme (1,760 pounds) of cocaine in a transhipment container of timber addressed to a company in neighbouring India.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Time of India
Sri Lanka customs make record cocaine bust at main airport
Representative Image Sri Lankan customs officials arrested a woman on Friday after seizing the largest quantity of cocaine ever intercepted at the country's main international airport. The suspect is a 38-year-old Thai national whose identity has not been disclosed. They were found carrying nearly 10 kilograms (22 pounds) of cocaine concealed inside three soft toys, according to Customs Additional Director-General Seevali Arukgoda. 'This is the biggest attempt at cocaine smuggling stopped by Sri Lanka Customs at the airport,' Arukgoda said. The cocaine was packed into over 500 plastic capsules and was discovered at Bandaranaike International Airport. The capsules are estimated to have a street value of $1.72 million. Customs officers posed with the seized drugs in official photos following the operation. This bust comes amid a series of recent drug interceptions in Sri Lanka. Earlier in the month, customs officials confiscated nearly 60 kilograms of synthetic cannabis across three separate incidents. These led to the arrests of three foreign nationals from the UK, India, and Thailand. The Thai woman apprehended on Friday could face life imprisonment if convicted under Sri Lanka's drug laws. Sri Lanka has previously made major narcotics seizures, especially off its coast. In one high-profile case last October, a Sri Lankan court sentenced 10 Iranian nationals to life imprisonment after they pleaded guilty to smuggling over 111 kilograms of heroin. A similar case in 2023 saw nine other Iranians sentenced to life for drug trafficking. The country's largest-ever single narcotics seizure occurred in December 2016, when customs discovered 800 kilograms (1,760 pounds) of cocaine hidden in a timber shipment addressed to a company in neighboring India.
The Print
23-04-2025
- Business
- The Print
Sri Lanka's exports record nearly 6% growth in first quarter of 2025
'This represents an impressive 6.24 per cent year-on-year growth compared to March 2024 and a substantial 11.76 per cent month-on-month increase from February 2025,' the export development board said. 'Sri Lanka has demonstrated remarkable resilience and growth in its export sector during the first quarter of 2025, with total exports reaching USD 4,212.13 million, reflecting a robust 5.87 per cent growth compared to the same period last year.' In March, the total exports, including both merchandise and services, reached USD 1,507.90 million. Colombo, Apr 23 (PTI) Sri Lanka's exports have seen a near six per cent growth in the first quarter of 2025, the export development board said on Wednesday. The merchandise export sector showed strong performance with a 5.87 per cent year-on-year growth in March 2025, reaching USD 1,215.9 million, according to provisional data from Sri Lanka Customs, including estimated figures for gems and jewellery and petroleum products. Services exports have been a particular bright spot, with an estimated growth of 7.79 per cent in March 2025, reaching USD 291.12 million compared to the same period in 2024. For the entire first quarter, services exports are estimated to have increased by 10.88 per cent to USD 887.04 million, highlighting the growing importance of Sri Lanka's knowledge-based economy. Overall merchandise exports for January to March 2025 are estimated at USD 3,325.09 million, marking a healthy 4.61 per cent increase compared to the first quarter of 2024. Meanwhile, the World Bank on Wednesday, releasing its biannual Sri Lanka Development Update, warned that a third of Sri Lanka's population is in poverty or faces the risk of falling into that category despite the island showing a remarkable turnaround of its economy in 2024. 'Sri Lanka's economy has made a remarkable recovery in 2024, surpassing growth expectations by recording 5 per cent growth, compared to the projected 4.4 per cent. This growth has been driven by strong performances in industry and services, particularly in construction and tourism-related services. 'In 2025, growth is expected to moderate to 3.5 per cent reflecting scarring effects of the crisis and structural impediments to growth, amid global headwinds and unprecedented trade policy uncertainty,' the World Bank said in its report. PTI CORR GSP GSP This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
The Independent
16-04-2025
- The Independent
American arrested for smuggling 23kg cannabis into Sri Lanka
A 31-year-old American citizen was arrested for allegedly smuggling a suitcase full of 'kush" cannabis into Sri Lanka from Thailand. The suspect, employed by a land trading company in the US, was held at the Bandaranaike airport in Colombo on Tuesday morning after he arrived on a Sri Lankan Airlines flight. He has not been named. He was detained while trying to exit the airport through a designated business corridor at the arrival terminal, customs officials said. The Narcotics Control Unit of Sri Lanka Customs recovered a total of 23kg of cannabis, concealed in around two dozen packets in his suitcase, according to local news website Ada Derana. Customs officials said the estimated street value of the seized drugs was about £582,000. The American was one of over half a dozen foreigners arrested in the first four months of this year attempting to bring cannabis into Sri Lanka from Thailand, authorities said. Following the decriminalisation of cannabis in Thailand, additional director general of Sri Lanka Customs Seevali Arukgoda told reporters there had been a growing trend of people trying to smuggle the narcotic into the island nation in 'significant quantities'. Customs authorities also arrested four Sri Lankan citizens on Tuesday for allegedly bringing 'kush' cannabis and hashish into the country. The suspects, aged 23 to 36, were caught carrying less than 500g cannabis each. Last month, Sri Lankan authorities arrested an Indian couple for allegedly bringing "kuch" cannabis coated in chocolate and worth £50,685 into the country. The couple, accompanied by their seven-year-old child, were detained after they landed in the island nation en route to India from Thailand. Customs officials alleged that the couple had rolled around 2kg of cannabis into small balls, wrapped the balls in polythene and coated them with chocolate. The 'chocolate balls' were then wrapped in gold and silver foil to seem like real chocolate. The chocolate coating method was so sophisticated that even sniffer dogs at the airport couldn't pick up the cannabis scent, a Narcotic Control Unit officer told the Daily Mirror. A 21-year-old British national was similarly detained last year for allegedly smuggling over 40kg of "kush" cannabis into the country from Bangkok.
