A consignment of 792 million cigarettes, imported as photocopy paper, was seized by customs.

A massive stock of foreign cigarettes, valued at approximately 792 million rupees, secretly brought into the country from India under the guise of importing photocopy paper, has been seized by the Central Investigation Division of Sri Lanka Customs.

Customs investigations have revealed that this was a large-scale smuggling operation attempted very subtly using forged documents. The smugglers had stated in the import documents for the relevant container that it contained photocopy paper and ordinary paper.

Their next plan was to transport this container to a company with a fake address located in the Kadana area. However, that plan was thwarted due to the sharp observation of Customs officers.

During a thorough search of the relevant container, officers succeeded in taking into Customs custody 457 cartons of foreign cigarettes hidden inside.

One person suspected of being involved in this smuggling operation has already been apprehended. Sri Lanka Customs has launched stringent investigations and legal actions to suppress such illicit goods trafficking. The Central Investigation Division of Customs is currently conducting further extensive investigations to uncover the rest of the network behind this incident.