A new Customs Marine Branch would be established under the Sri Lanka Customs Department upon a request by Customs Direrctor General P S M Charles, Minister Mangala Samaraweera said.
Addressing a press briefing at the Ministry of Finance and Mass Media, the Minister added that this unit would be established in a bid to prevent narcotics being smuggled into the country. On the same lines he added that Sri Lanka has now become a hub for drug trafficking.
Accordingly, the new Branch would comprise of special boats that would be manned by customs officials.
The Minister of Finance and Mass Media added that only five percent of drug traffickers are apprehended by the customs while the rest are arrested by the Police or the STF.
It was also revealed that the Customs Marine Branch at the Customs Department which was established in 1956 had ceased to function after 1991 since the boats which were used for patrolling purposes were not in a usable state anymore.
A Sri Lankan man was apprehended at Suvarnabhumi airport for attempting to smuggle wildlife out of the country after three ball pythons were found hidden in his underwear, the Bangkok post reported.
The UK government has unveiled a package of reforms to simplify imports from developing countries which allows for more garments manufactured in Sri Lanka to enter the UK tariff-free.
Read these and more on tomorrow’s edition of the Sunday Times
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