A Sri Lankan passenger arriving from Bangkok has been arrested at Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in Katunayake with 1.480 kilograms of “Kush” cannabis worth an estimated Rs. 14.8 million, disguised as branded confectionery.
Officers of the Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) made the arrest on Monday morning (July 27) after the passenger landed at 9.25 a.m. aboard SriLankan Airlines flight UL-403 from the Thai capital, Ada Derana reported.
The suspect is a 24-year-old painter from the Monaragala area.
Moulded, coated and packed to pass as sweets
Investigators found that the consignment had been mechanically shaped to resemble sausages, coated with chocolate, vacuum-sealed and then packaged to closely imitate a well-known brand of chocolates, according to Ada Derana.
The narcotics had been divided across 70 such chocolate wrappers and concealed among genuine chocolates and toffees inside the passenger’s bag — a layering technique intended to survive both visual inspection and scanning.
NewsFirst carried a similar account of the seizure, describing the drugs as shaped into sausage-like capsules, coated in chocolate and packaged before being brought into the country.
The suspect and the seized narcotics were due to be produced before the Negombo Magistrate’s Court for further investigation.
Bangkok route under sustained pressure
The arrest continues a run of Kush interceptions at Sri Lanka’s main international gateway, with Bangkok recurring as the departure point. Officers previously detained a Filipino woman carrying 6kg of Kush at the airport, and a Canadian national with hashish valued at Rs. 201 million was held there earlier this month.
Chocolate packaging is itself a repeat method rather than a novelty: a Sri Lankan man was arrested at BIA in April with 11.34kg of Kush concealed in chocolate wrappings on a flight from New Delhi.
Kush, a synthetic cannabis variant that has spread rapidly through West Africa and parts of South Asia, commands far higher street prices than conventional cannabis and has become a standing enforcement priority for narcotics officers at Katunayake.
The allegations have not been tested in court.
