Cigarettes worth Rs. 205 million

1 February 2011 03:30 pm - 4 - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

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The Sri Lanka Customs seized illicit cigarettes worth Rs.205 million collected from airline passengers and also from personnel baggages at ports during the last few months, Customs Deputy Director Sisira De Silva said.

If the seizures had not been made the government would have faced a tax loss including the import duty, of Rs.154 million, he said.

A total of six million cigarette sticks were found in 34,034 cartons and the cigarettes had been produced in Pakistan and UAE, he said. No suspects have been arrested so far as the importers have used forge Identity cards and addresses when importing the cigarettes, he added.

The contraband was stored in a container for two months and were handed over to the revenue task force and the National Authority for Tobacco and Alcohol (NATA) to be destroyed following investigations. The cigarettes were branded as Gold Seal.

Representatives from NATA said the Customs and Excise Department is working together with them to limit the use of illicit cigarettes and a special operation is carried out in the airport to seize them.

Illicit cigarettes play a vital role in the black market of Sri Lanka due to its low price. (Supun Dias)

Pix by Kithsiri De Mel

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Comments - 4

Dilan Wednesday, 02 February 2011 05:36 AM

Oh that explains why there were no Cigarettes in the market today

THE UNDER TAKER Wednesday, 02 February 2011 08:56 AM

PART OF CUSTOMS WORK FOR THE TOPWORLD-PART OF THEM WORK FOR UNDERWORLD-ANYWAY KEEP IT UP GOOD WORK DONE

zorro Wednesday, 02 February 2011 10:41 AM

are they going to be destroyed really? or will be marketed by some underground party members?

Gimsith Friday, 04 February 2011 04:25 AM

This is really great work done by authority of government of srilanka ... This iS the Real spirit of the nation ..keep going ..

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Cigarettes worth Rs. 205 million

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