Twenty-two Buddhist monks have been arrested at Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) with more than 110 kilograms of suspected Kush and hashish, in what authorities are calling the largest single drug haul in the airport’s history.
The Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) raided the group on Saturday night following intelligence reports. The narcotics, with a street value of more than Rs. 1.1 billion, were concealed inside false-bottom suitcases packed with school supplies and assorted sweets. Each monk was allegedly carrying over five kilograms of contraband.
Investigators said the group travelled to Bangkok on April 22 using airline tickets arranged by an unidentified sponsor. Mobile phones recovered from the suspects reportedly contained photographs and videos showing them in civilian clothing while overseas.
The 22 suspects, aged between 19 and 28, are described as young monks from various parts of the country who are pursuing higher education at different institutions. They were produced before the Negombo Magistrate’s Court, which on Sunday ordered them detained until May 2 to allow further questioning, NewsFirst and Newswire reported. The home districts of the detained group span Ampara, Horana, Boralesgamuwa, Wadduwa, Warakapola, Piliyandala, Homagama, Athuraliya, Ambalangoda, Kudispaththuwa, Madapatha and Balangoda. Three of the suspects had previously travelled to Bangkok, investigators said. NewsFirst’s later filing put the combined seizure at more than 120 kg of Kush and hashish, slightly above the initial 110 kg figure released on Saturday night, with each suspect allegedly carrying more than five kilograms.
Police phrasing in the second wave of reporting referred to the group as “individuals appearing to be monks”, suggesting authorities have not yet confirmed all 22 are formally ordained members of the Sangha.
It is the first reported case of a group of Buddhist monks being detained at BIA with a large narcotics consignment. The seizure also marks a significant escalation in the airport interdiction pattern PNB officers have built over the past month, following separate Bangkok-route arrests involving Sri Lankan and foreign nationals.
The bust follows the government’s broader anti-narcotics campaign under Operation Rata Ekata, which has logged more than 156,000 arrests and 1,917 kilograms of heroin since October 2025. Recent Bangkok-route Kush interdictions at BIA include a photographer carrying Rs. 25 million worth of narcotics and an Indian national caught with Rs. 113 million worth of Kush in chocolate packaging.
On Sunday afternoon, the Mahanayaka Theros of all three main Buddhist Nikayas issued a joint statement condemning the misuse of the saffron robe, and police separately arrested the alleged main facilitator — also identified as a monk — in Meegahawatta, Gampaha.
On May 2, the Negombo Magistrate’s Court remanded all 22 suspects until May 12 after the seven-day PNB detention order expired. Police told the court that another monk identified as Amithananda Thero — alleged to have orchestrated the smuggling — had been arrested while hiding at a temple in Gampaha and was due to be produced before court on May 3. A second individual accused of aiding the operation was arrested in Athurugiriya, and investigators said evidence had emerged of an earlier successful smuggling run organised by the same suspect, Ada Derana reported.
