Sugar containers with cocaine not destined to SL: Customs

The controversial sugar containers, detected with cocaine in 2016 and 2017 were not destined for Sri Lanka, Customs Assistant Supdt. Nuwan Abeynayake said.

Speaking at a trade union meeting, he said the cocaine haul was received in the port via transhipment after they were found to have been unable to remove from the containers.

"Many institutions had claimed that cocaine had been brought into the country under the guise of importing sugar. Heroin consumption recorded as the highest in the country but cocaine was recorded low because it was very expensive. About 1,322 kg of heroin was raided in those years and the controversial sugar containers were from Argentina and Brazil.

Mr. Abeynayake also said that four transhipment containers of pepper had been halted at the Customs according to the information given by the Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB).

According to the information available with the PNB, they said that there was cocaine with the consignment of pepper.

The four containers were unloaded at the port as transhipment from the Port of Amsterdam in the Netherlands.

The raid was conducted following a court order and the four containers were detained at the Customs more than a month awaiting documents. (Chaturanga Samarawickrama)