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A Kenyan national was taken into custody after being found in possession of 4 kilograms of cocaine, estimated to be valued at around Rs. 300 million (Sh532,462,905)
The arrest occurred at Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in Katunayake shortly after the individual's arrival from Ethiopia on Sunday, September 24.
According to Customs Spokesperson Sivali Arukgoda, the suspect, identified as a Kenyan car dealer, had traveled from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to Doha, Qatar, before boarding a Qatar Airways flight (QR 654) to Sri Lanka.
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The 26-year-old Kenyan was apprehended at the airport's arrival terminal by officials from the Sri Lanka Customs narcotics control unit.
During a thorough search of his hand luggage, they discovered 180 capsules of cocaine, weighing a total of 4 kilograms, cleverly concealed inside three metal cookie tins.
Following the arrest and the drug seizure, authorities handed over the suspect to the Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) at BIA.
The PNB will conduct further investigations into the case to determine the extent of the drug trafficking operation and identify any potential associates.
In June, a Kenyan woman was arrested at the New Delhi Airport for carrying cocaine worth Sh380 million concealed in three whisky bottles in a dissolved form.
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The bottles, bearing the Black Label stickers, appeared to show the cocaine in liquid, brownish form before the authorities condensed it.
The woman arrived via Addis Ababa and has been arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act of India