A Sri Lankan businessman has been arrested at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in Katunayake while attempting to smuggle crystal methamphetamine, also known as ‘ice’, worth around Rs. 30 million into the country.

The arrested passenger, a 43-year-old resident of Grandpass, had arrived in the country yesterday from Chennai, India onboard the SriLankan Airlines flight UL 126 and was searched Sri Lanka Customs officers attached to the Arrival Terminal. 

Two parcels containing ice, weighing 1.5 kg in total, were found concealed inside milk power boxes inside his luggage. The estimated street value of the seized drugs is around Rs 30 million. 

The narcotics control unit of Sri Lanka Customs is conducting further investigations into the arrest while the arrested suspect and the drugs have been handed over the Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) for onward action.