Customs rtf nets Rs.359Mn worth narcotics sent via courier services in 2023

• Gift pack from Italy turns to be Rs.61Mn worth Hashish

By Kurulu Koojana Kariyakarawana   

A main operational wing of the Sri Lanka Customs, its Revenue Task Force (RTF) has seized Narcotics worth Rs.359 million that arrived in the country via various courier services during last year, thus detecting another package from Italy on Tuesday evening.   

 Most of the detections made were Cannabis and Marijuana varieties that had arrived in private cargo clearing yards as unaccompanied personal baggage (UPB) and packages sent to local addressees from foreign countries.   

The detections varied from three to 20 kilos and their worth was ranging from Rs.17 to 200 million.   

Customs Spokesperson Senior Director Seevali Arukgoda said the latest detection was a gift package sent to an addressee in Homagama from Italy, which had arrived in a private cargo clearing yard in Seeduwa on Tuesday evening.   

Officials of the Customs RTF stationed at the cargo yard searched the suspicious looking gift pack declared as food items to find the cannabis variety Hashish worth over Rs.61 million, the spokesman said.   

Head of Customs RTF Director Nimal Samaratunga told the Daily Mirror the series of narcotics detections they made last year were done even without owning special skills to handle drugs. The designated wing in the Customs to counter drugs is the Customs Narcotic Control Unit. An agent who came to clear the contraband was arrested by the Customs and handed over to the Police Narcotic Bureau (PNB) for further investigations.