Container declared as office furniture turns out to be Rs 435 bn worth of cigarettes

Customs officials took into custody a haul of foreign cigarettes worth over Rs 435 billion while they were being smuggled into the country at the Orugodawatta cargo inspection division.

The cigarettes were found inside a 20-foot container that had been brought into the country from the Jebel Ali port in the United Arab Emirates.

Customs spokesman Additional Customs Director General Sivali Arukgoda said that Customs officers found 2.5 million cigarettes in the container.

The Customs had received information that office furniture was being imported, and upon inspection, it was revealed that cigarettes had been smuggled in illegally.

Arukgoda stated that if these cigarettes had made it past Customs, a significant loss of over Rs. 378 million in duty revenue would have occurred.

Regarding the smuggling of these cigarettes, Arukgoda mentioned that, after taking a statement from a vape clerk, Customs officials are taking steps to apprehend the individual responsible for smuggling this illegal consignment of cigarettes into the country.

Under the supervision of Customs Director General Sarath Nonis, the Customs Revenue Department’s Director Tilak Suraviira, Senior Deputy Director Tissa Dahanayake, Deputy Customs Directors Upul Gonawala, S. Sandagopan, Akila Rupasinghe, Sandun Batagoda, Anushka Kure, and Rakhitha Ariyasena will conduct further investigations.

By Prabhath Withana