Five nabbed for smuggling cigarettes

Nimal Rajapakse

The Colombo Excise-Special Operation Unit took into custody five persons who had smuggled a consignment of cigarettes from India without paying excise duties during a raid at Armour Street, Colombo.

This contraband comprising 21,000 foreign cigarettes together with 100,00 beedies is valued at Rs. one million, according to the Superintendent of the Special Unit Upul Seneviratne.

These suspects were arrested when they were about to transport these items stacked in a van to be delivered later to Colombo and the North East where beedies fetch a good price.

Those arrested include three Indians and two Sri Lankans. They will be produced before Excise Commissioner General Wasantha Hapuarachchi. This entire contraband will be destroyed, Excise Department officials said.

The team of excise officials included Superintendent Upul Seneviratne, Inspector S.A. Udaya and guards Najithsinghe and W.C. de Silva of the Unit.