Rs. 35.9 million worth of foreign cigarettes confiscated by customs

A consignment of illicit foreign cigarettes worth about Rs.35.9 million, illegally brought in disguised as passenger luggage, had been seized by the Sri Lanka Customs Revenue Supervision Dept. yesterday.
The stock of foreign cigarettes, allegedly declared as passenger luggage, had been flown in fraudulently using names and addresses of returnees form the Middle East. The loss of tax revenue to the government by this was approximately Rs.109, 000,000. These cigarettes were destroyed yesterday by the National Narcotics and Tobacco Authority.
According to Customs 4,792,000 cigarettes (23960 cartons) valued at Rs.35, 940,000 had been destroyed. 
The search was carried out on the instructions of Assistant Director Customs Jayantha Ponnamperuma.