Five individuals including two Chinese nationals and an Indian along with two Sri Lankans were nabbed while attempting to smuggle into the country a stock of foreign cigarettes, whiskey and electronic television transmission equipment, worth more than Rs. 15.8 million, officials said.
They were apprehended by alert officials at the Bandaranayake International Airport (BIA) on Wednesday, they said.
They added that the contraband had a street value of some Rs. 15.8 million.
There has been a huge spike in the smuggling of foreign cigarettes into the country owing to the very high cost of locally made tobacco products with a single cigarette stick costing between Rs. 35 to 150.
Apart from the airport cigarettes are also known to be smuggled into the country by sea, according to officials.
The contraband was confiscated and the suspects were ordered to pay a fine of Rs. 300,000.
