Sri Lanka seizes largest cocaine haul at main airport

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka´s customs authorities arrested on Friday a woman and seized the largest haul of cocaine ever detected at the country´s main international airport, an official said.

The unnamed 38-year-old Thai woman was carrying nearly 10 kilogrammes of cocaine stuffed into three soft toys, Customs Additional Director-General Seevali Arukgoda said. “This is the biggest attempt at cocaine smuggling stopped by Sri Lanka Customs at the airport,” Arukgoda said in a statement. Customs officials at Bandaranaike International Airport posed for photos with the cocaine, which had been neatly stuffed into just over 500 plastic capsules, with an estimated street value of $1.72 million.

The seizure follows three other hauls this month totalling nearly 60 kilogrammes of synthetic cannabis. Three foreign nationals -- from Britain, India, and Thailand -- were arrested in separate cases.