No-show parcel collectors lead Rs.60Mn worth narcotics to pile up at Colombo Cargo Express

By Kurulu Koojana Kariyakarawana   

A hoard of dangerous drugs worth over millions of rupees sent through special express mail courier services from countries in the west has been piling up at the Colombo Cargo Express since early 2024, owing to the ‘no-show’ parcel collectors who have abandoned their goods, Sri Lanka Customs said yesterday.   

Officials at the private licensed bonded warehouse, Colombo Cargo Express situated in Seeduwa have detained a number of parcels since January 2025 to July 2025, which had been unclaimed by their consignees.   

Customs officials stationed at the Colombo Cargo Express warehouse have detained these parcels as they were suspicious of containing narcotics substances and kept them for a longer period until the consignees would turn up to claim the packages.   

Customs Spokesperson Additional Director General Seevali Arukgoda told the Daily Mirror that they had finally decided to examine these packages after 18 months and did so in the presence of the Customs Narcotic Control Unit officials.   

The officials found 1, 101 grams of Cocaine (1.1 kilos), 1, 666 grams of Cannabis variety Kush (1.6 kilos) and vials of Cannabis oil. The detected items were reportedly having a street value of over Rs.60 million.   

The narcotic drugs had largely been sent from countries such as USA, Canada and Malaysia and were concealed in electrical equipment, sports gear and sweets and confectionery parcels.  

Arukgoda said preliminary inquiries carried out by the Customs have revealed that most of the local addresses mentioned in these packages were found to be false.   

The seized items were to be formally handed over to the Police Narcotic Bureau for further legal proceedings.