– A 60-year-old Indian national was arrested at Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) yesterday (16) after Customs officers detected a consignment of cocaine worth an estimated Rs. 108 million concealed in his luggage.

The suspect, identified as an Indian geologist, was arrested by officers of the Customs Narcotics Control Division while attempting to leave through the “Green Channel” at the airport arrival terminal, where passengers with no items to declare are permitted to proceed.

According to Customs officials, the suspect had travelled from Kampala, Uganda, to Doha, Qatar, before arriving at Katunayake aboard Qatar Airways flight QR-664 at around 10.40 a.m.During an inspection of his suitcase, officers discovered 2 kilograms and 150 grams of cocaine carefully concealed inside two file folders containing certificates .The seized narcotics and the suspect have been handed over to the Airport Police Narcotics Bureau at Katunayake for further investigations.