Customs nab couple attempting to smuggle currency worth nearly Rs. 90 million

Customs officials have arrested a man and a woman at the Katunayake Airport Thursday while attempting to smuggle out local and foreign currency worth nearly Rs. 90 million.

According to the Customs officials, this is the largest amount of currency attempted to smuggle out of Sri Lanka.

The Sri Lanka Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit arrested the young couple when they were attempting to leave the country on a SriLankan Airlines flight to Dubai yesterday afternoon.

The two suspects, a 22-year-old woman and a 24-year-old man, are residents of Dematagoda.

The suspects had US Dollars 45,000, Euros 35,000, Omani Riyals 4,000, Bahrain Dinar 2,685, Saudi Riyals 599,500 and UAE Dirhams 72,000 and Sri Lankan Rs. 44,315,000 neatly packed in polythene bags in the checked-in luggage.