Cigarette smuggling racket busted

An international smuggling of foreign cigarettes from Cambodia has been caught, Sri Lanka Customs said today (March 23). 

It is reported that the container was sent to the Colombo port for re-export from Cambodia on February 23 and the Sri Lankan customs officers had investigated it after it was sent to the Colombo port. 

During initial investigations, none of the shipping documents declared to the Sri Lankan Customs indicated any foreign cigarettes contained therein.

However. the cigarettes were discovered packed to fit inside the container. 

The goods compressed in the container included 71 A4 paper packets, 439 empty cardboard boxes and six million Marlboro Gold type foreign cigarettes that are worth six billion rupees considering the local market value. 

Further investigations are being carried out regarding this container with the assistance of foreign institutions if necessary and the Mobile Branch of the Revenue Monitoring Division of Sri Lanka Customs.