Sri Lanka Customs officers seized pharmaceutical products worth approximately Rs. 10 million at Bandaranaike International Airport on Monday, arresting four Colombo residents who attempted to bring the consignment through the green channel.
The four suspects, including one woman, had arrived on a flight from Bangalore, India. Customs officials intercepted them during routine screening and recovered the undeclared pharmaceuticals from eight suitcases. The haul included injections, tablets, capsules, and ointments, according to The Island.
None of the medicines had received the regulatory approvals required under Sri Lankan law. Pharmaceutical imports must be cleared by the Ministry of Health and licensed through the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA), which enforces standards under the Cosmetics, Devices and Drugs Act. Unapproved medicines may be counterfeit, substandard, or unsuitable for the local market.
The use of the green channel, reserved for passengers with nothing to declare, suggests deliberate concealment rather than an oversight. Customs has intensified scrutiny at BIA in recent weeks, with separate arrests this month over cannabis, methamphetamine and kush shipments arriving on international flights.
The group is being questioned by the Customs Preventive Division. Further legal action is expected under customs and pharmaceutical regulations.
The interception adds to a growing pattern of Bangalore-Colombo smuggling routes being used to bring restricted goods into Sri Lanka, with authorities warning that illicit medicine imports pose serious public health risks.
