Contraband fags worth Rs. 1.3 bn seized

By Rathindra Kuruwita

Police Special Task Force (STF) seized a 40-foot container with over 10 million sticks of cigarettes, with a street value of 1.3 billion rupees (about 3.96 million U.S. dollars), police said on Friday (17.)

According to the police, the cigarettes were illegally imported, without paying the excise duty.STF seized the container near the Kelanitissa Power Station in Grandpass, police said.

STF also arrested a 65-year-old suspect, a resident of Makola, in connection with the incident.The suspect and the contraband, were handed over to the Grandpass Police for further investigations.