200 mn contraband fags destroyed

Sri Lanka Customs yesterday destroyed the largest cache of illicit cigarettes.The Customs said they had destroyed over 200 million sticks with an estimated street value of Rs 9.7 billion.

The cigarettes were detected in May 2021.Top Customs officials and State Minister of Finance Ranjith Siyambalapitiya were present to witness the destruction of contraband cigarettes.

The illicit cigarettes arrived in 21 containers from Dubai and were to be reshipped to several European destinations declared as Ceylon black tea.Siyambalapitiya said the government had saved Rs 13 billion in tax revenue due to the confiscation of the illicit cigarettes since 2021. (RK)