Customs RTF seize Rs.350Mn worth cars, fags, cosmetics and booze in container

Pics by Pradeep Dilrukshana      

• Officials found three partly dismantled hybrid cars, a Toyota Prius and two Toyota Allions

By Kurulu Koojana Kariyakarawana   

Sri Lanka Customs yesterday displayed a seized container carrying three hybrid cars, a large stock of cosmetics, illicit cigarettes and foreign liquor worth over Rs.350 million, which had been imported by a trader falsely declaring as motor spare parts.   

Officials of the Customs Revenue Task Force (RTF) opened the seized 40-foot container at the Customs RTF inspection site in Grayline 1 Yard in Orugodawatta yesterday afternoon before the media.

The RTF on information commenced monitoring the container, which had arrived in the Colombo Port on May 13 and had later transferred to the Grayline 1 container yard. When two clearing agents of the consignee had come to release the goods they were taken into custody and the container was searched.   

Although, the consignment had been declared as motor spare parts, the officials found three partly dismantled hybrid cars, a Toyota Prius and two Toyota Allions, a large stock of cosmetics, about 200,000 sticks of Manchester branded cigarettes came in 400 cartons and 450 one litre bottles of Vat 69 whiskey inside the container.   
The goods had been valued at Rs.350 million and the tax revenue the government would have lost if these items went undetected was about Rs.220 million, the
officials said.   

The contraband had been addressed to a trader on the Chatham Street, Fort and the two wharf clerks who came to clear the goods had been detained for further investigations.   
Director Customs RTF Nimal Samaratunga, Senior Deputy Director of Customs Nalin Premaratne, Superintendents Lal Weerakoon and C. S. Wickramaratne and the team made the detection. The Customs inquiry is to take place shortly. 

•  The contraband had been addressed to a trader from Chatham Street, Fort and the two wharf clerks who came to clear the goods had been detained for further investigations