The Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) urgently needed a special washroom equipped to help Customs investigations, Custom Director Sarath Nonis said.

“The increasing trend  in smuggling items such as  gold and heroin  hidden in the  internal parts of human body  such as rectum and stomach have necessitated the installation of the new washroom system within the airport premises,” he said.

“The value of the gold seized which weighs 50 kilos at the airport during the recent past is more than Rs 500 mn,” he said.

“Removal of gold pieces and heroin from the suspect’s bodies has caused serious situations rendering them to bleed.

“Up to September 25, 14 attempts to smuggle out gold and foreign currencies hidden in the suspects’ bodies have been revealed. These smuggling seems to have been carried out by individuals led by an organised mafia. And there is a possibility of increase of the smuggling in future,” he said. (News and pix by Nirmala Fernandez)