Sri Lanka Customs arrested a 60-year-old Indian national described as a geologist at Bandaranaike International Airport on Friday morning after officers recovered 2,150 grams of cocaine concealed in his luggage. The narcotics carry an estimated street value of Rs. 108 million.
The suspect arrived at the Katunayake terminal on Qatar Airways flight QR 664 from Uganda via Doha and was intercepted at the Arrival Hall at around 10.30 a.m. during a targeted operation by the Narcotics Control Unit (NCU) of Sri Lanka Customs.
In a statement reported by Newswire, Customs said the detection was the result of intelligence-led profiling, close surveillance and stringent baggage examination procedures, part of ongoing efforts to disrupt transnational drug trafficking through Colombo.
Preliminary investigations are being conducted by the NCU. The suspect and the seized cocaine will be handed over to the relevant law enforcement authorities for further investigation and prosecution.
The arrest opens a new Uganda–Doha–Colombo trafficking vector at BIA. Earlier this month a Ugandan woman was caught at the same terminal with cocaine concealed in her clothing, and several prior interceptions have involved foreign nationals using internal-body concealment. Customs and Immigration have separately deported dozens of foreign cybercrime suspects over the past month as part of a wider crackdown on cross-border crime.
