A group of officers attached to the Sri Lanka Customs at Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) and the Customs Narcotics Control Division arrested 18 passengers attempting to smuggle a large consignment of foreign-manufactured cigarettes into the country through the Green Channel at the airport’s arrivals terminal.

Customs officials said the seized stock, valued at approximately Rs. 31.38 million, consisted of 1,046 cartons containing 209,200 cigarettes manufactured in China.The suspects include 16 Chinese nationals and two Sri Lankan nationals, all identified as businessmen. They had arrived at Katunayake Airport on May 30 aboard Emirates, AirAsia, Malaysia Airlines and Batik Air flights from Dubai and Kuala Lumpur.According to Customs, the cigarettes had been concealed in 27 pieces of luggage and were being transported through the Green Channel, where passengers are not required to make declarations.The suspects and the contraband were taken into custody by Customs officers at the airport, while further investigations are underway.