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CBS News
18 hours ago
- General
- CBS News
Record haul of cocaine found inside plush toys at Sri Lanka airport; woman arrested
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 kilograms (22 pounds) of cocaine stuffed into three plush 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 totaling nearly 60 kilograms 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 kilograms of kush, a synthetic drug. Lee told the BBC she had travelled from Bangkok to Sri Lanka's capital Colombo to renew her Thai visa. She described her living conditions at a prison in Negombo, a city just north of the capital, saying she spends most of her day inside, although she does get to go outside for fresh air. "I have never been to prison and I've never been to Sri Lanka," she told the BBC. "This heat and just sitting on a concrete floor all of the time." British woman accused of drug offences appears in Sri Lanka court — BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) May 30, 2025 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 kilograms 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 kilograms (1,760 pounds) of cocaine in a shipment container of timber addressed to a company in neighboring India.
CNA
4 days ago
- General
- CNA
Sri Lanka seizes largest cocaine haul at main airport
COLOMBO: Sri Lanka's customs authorities arrested on Friday (May 30) 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 10kg 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 US$1.72 million. The seizure follows three other hauls this month totalling nearly 60kg 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 46kg 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 111kg 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 800kg of cocaine in a transhipment container of timber addressed to a company in neighbouring India.
Al Arabiya
4 days ago
- General
- Al Arabiya
Sri Lanka seizes largest cocaine haul at main airport
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 kilograms (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 totaling nearly 60 kilograms 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 kilograms 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 kilograms 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 kilogram (1,760 pounds) of cocaine in a transshipment container of timber addressed to a company in neighboring India.
