A young man has been arrested at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) for possessing a large quantity of Kush cannabis, Ada Derana reported. The estimated value of the seized narcotics exceeds Rs. 80 million.
The suspect is a 24-year-old resident of Gampaha who had arrived from Bangkok on SriLankan Airlines flight UL403 at around 9.35 a.m. on Tuesday, Newswire reported. Customs Narcotics Control Unit officers detected the drugs concealed in his luggage and put the street value of the haul at approximately Rs. 83.65 million.
The suspect and the seized drugs were handed over to the Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) unit at the airport for further investigation.
The seizure is the latest in a sustained wave of narcotics interceptions at BIA, where Kush — a potent synthetic-cannabinoid street drug — has been repeatedly detected on arrivals from South-East Asian routes. Recent cases include the high-profile arrest of 22 robed suspects with 112 kilograms of Kush and hashish from Thailand, whose 23 accused were remanded until June 9, as well as separate busts involving Indonesian nationals and Kush concealed in chocolate packaging.
Authorities have stepped up screening at the airport amid concern that international syndicates are using passengers as couriers to move synthetic cannabinoids into Sri Lanka.
