Officers of the Customs Narcotics Unit have arrested a woman who was smuggling 2 kilograms and 532 grams of cocaine worth Rs. 90 million from Ethiopia to Sri Lanka, Deputy Customs Director (Legal Affairs) Sudaththa Silva said. She was a 27-year-old Indian national.
She had arrived at the Katunayake Airport with the Cocaine very cleverly hidden in three shampoo bottles and 400 specially made buttons in her travelling bags.
The woman who had begun her journey from Addis Ababa Airport in Ethiopia, had travelled to Dubai International Airport in the United Arab Emirates and from there boarded flight FZ 547 of Fly Dubai Airlines to Sri Lanka. Although, the airports at Addis Ababa and Dubai in the UAE used advanced technology, it was of significance that they were not able to find this stock of drugs.
The Customs Media Spokesman said that as a result, this was a very particular raid and arrest in the history of Sri Lanka customs.
The Customs Narcotics Unit has handed over the Indian woman and the stock of drugs to the Police Anti-Narcotics Bureau officers for further investigations.