Thai women pregnant with cocaine netted

16 April 2012 09:01 pm

The police recovered 162 capsules containing cocaine at an estimated value of Rs.20 million from the stomachs of the two Thai women who were admitted to the Negombo Hospital after their arrest at the Katunayake Airport. 

This is the first instance in Sri Lanka where suspects found to have swallowed cocaine were arrested.

The detection was made by the Police Narcotics Bureau. Arrangements were made to remove the cocaine from the stomachs under medical supervision.

The suspects, one aged 20 and the other 33. Police sources said one of the young women had swallowed 88 capsules of cocaine while the other had swallowed 74 capsules.

They had arrived in the country on April 10 from Doha, Qatar on transit to Bangkok. PNB officials had noticed that one of the women appeared to be in some form of discomfort and the women were rushed to the Negombo Hospital. They were checked out at the hospital and found to have cocaine capsules in their stomachs.

Police said they believed that these women might be a part of larger ring of cocaine smugglers operating from Sri Lanka. (Deepa Adhikari)