Customs detain Rs 122 Mn worth beedi wrapper leaves consignment

The Port Control Unit of Sri Lanka Customs detained a Rs 122 million worth beedi wrapper leaves consignment, shipped from Chennai, India. The consignment was declared to be containing yarn.

The consignment has been assigned to a company registered under Board of Investments (BOI) situated in the Katunayake Export Processing Zone. The consignment arrived in Colombo on March 13 in a vessel named 'Cape Nemo'.

When Customs officials examined the consignment, the goods found in the container were 24000 Kg of Beedi wrapper leaves valued at Rs 122 million though the shipping documents mentioned the goods as yarn. The Customs said that the taxes payable on the beedi leaves imported in this consignment is more than Rs 100 million.

The Customs said smugglers had attempted to clear this consignment declaring the goods as yarn without payment of any duties as BOI enterprises are permitted to import goods for exports without payment of any duties. One suspect has been taken into custody by the Customs and further investigations are underway to arrest others involved in the incident.

Pix by Sameera Weerasekara