Customs detect heroin on board Dubai bound flight

Customs yesterday detected 1.4 kilograms of heroin worth Rs. 14 million left in a passenger flight that arrived from Dubai. The brown sugar heroin was found in four separate packages stashed inside a toilet in the aircraft. 

Custom officers who were acting on a tip given by the pilot of the flight detected the illegal substance on Fly Dubai flight FZ 555 from Male to Dubai flying via Bandaranaike International Airport yesterday morning, Customs Spokesperson Dharmasena Kahandawa said. 

The unattended packages were discovered by a flight attendant hidden inside one of the toilet, initial investigations have revealed. Customs suspect that the packages were brought by a Pakistani passenger who was on board the flight. Following initial investigations, the flight resumed journey after a five-hour delay due to the incident. The illegal substance is to be handed over to the Police Narcotic Bureau for further investigations, Kahadawa said.

Pix Kumarasiri Prasad