Customs Seize Rs. 7.5M Worth of Illegal E-Cigarettes and Cigarettes at Katunayake Airport

News

A stock of e-cigarettes and cigarettes worth nearly Rs 7.5 million that were brought in illegally by a businessman travelling from Dubai were seized by the customs officers at the Katunayake airport on Friday.

The suspect was a 50-year old businessman from Nittambuwa-Thihariya who had arrived at the Katunayake Airport with his wife and two children.

The customs officers found 740 Chinese made e-cigarettes and 780 cigarettes of the “Benson and Hedges” brand that were hidden in various places of the 8 baggages that the businessman carried.

During the preliminary investigations conducted by the airport customs officials, the businessman stated that the cigarette stock that he smuggled in were for orders that he received.

The customs officers have detained him and are currently conducting further investigations on this matter.

By T.K.G Kapila

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