Customs seize Ecstasy pills worth Rs.10mn at CME

A parcel containing nearly 2,000 ecstasy pills (methamphetamine or ice) tablets worth over Rs. 10 million was seized by Customs officers at the Central Mail Exchange (CME) Colombo this evening, Customs Director and Acting Spokesman Lal Weerakoon said.

He said 1,961 pills were found in a parcel addressed to a 24-year-old male at Modera as a gift from Belgium.

The suspect who received it at the CME with the parcel collection receipt had been arrested at the time of receiving the parcel, he said

The suspect said he was unaware that the parcel contained ecstasy pills and the pills were found concealed in a cloth inside the gift parcel in three colours like blue, orange and grey, he said.

The detection was made by customs officer D.M.J.C. Wimaladasa and investigations were carried out by Narcotics Control Unit at the customs.

The pills and the suspect had been handed over to the Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) for further investigations, Mr. Weerakoon said. (Chaturanga Samarawickrama)