Canadian arrested at BIA with Rs. 182 m worth of hashish

Wednesday, 29 October 2025 04:24 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Officers of the Narcotics Control Unit (NCU) of Sri Lanka Customs have arrested a 21-year-old Canadian national for attempting to smuggle over 18 kilograms of hashish into the country.

The detection was made on Monday (27) at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), when the suspect arrived from Dubai aboard Emirates flight EK 648, which landed around 10:30 p.m. Upon inspection, NCU officers found 18,253 grams (18.25 kg) of hashish carefully concealed inside the suspect’s checked-in luggage.

The seized narcotics are estimated to be worth approximately Rs. 182.53 million in street value. Following preliminary investigations conducted by Customs officials, the suspect and the narcotics were handed over to the Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) for further investigation and legal action.

Sri Lanka Customs noted that this detection underscores the continued vigilance of its NCU in preventing transnational drug trafficking through the country’s main international gateway.