Sri Lanka Customs Preventive Mega-Port Surveillance Unit today detained two containers with 18 tons of Beedi Leaves worth Rs.13 million, while being attempted to smuggle into the country, Customs Spokesman and Deputy Director Sunil Jayarathne said.
He said one 40-foot container was detected attempting pas Customs Security Gates declaring as an empty.
“Due to the huge tax imposed on the Beedi Leaves, smugglers used to import them hidden among the low-tax goods such as onion,” Mr Jayarathne said.
The container detected at the gate was found with 4,000 kilograms of Beedi Leaves packed in cardboard boxes and sacks.
“The evaded tax amounted to Rs 45 million,” he said.
It was detected based on the intelligence gathered by the Mega-Port Surveillance Unit officers.
The container was destined to Indonesia as transshipment cargo after reworking at the Colombo Port.
However, the container had been declared as empty at the De Seram Gate at the examination yard at Thotalanga.
Three suspects, including a wharf clerk and the lorry driver, were arrested and produced before the Colombo Magistrate and remanded, Jayarathne said.
Meanwhile, another 20-foot container was detained by the Customs Preventive Mega-Port Surveillance Unit with 4,000 kilograms of Beedi Leaves worth Rs. 3 million after the container deviated from the common route.“The evaded tax amounted to Rs 13 million,” he said.
The contraband was declared as onions by a trader at the Bankshall Street, Colombo 11.
“The container was detected by the Preventive Mobile Unit while conducting the regular mobile inspection,” he said.
“The container was detected while it was deviating from the common route, on its way to the customs examination Yard at Orugodawatte from the Colombo Port,” Mr Jayarahthne said.
The container was intercepted at Mahawatte in Colombo 11 and the goods were declared as arrived from the Port of Nhava Sheva (Jawaharlal Nehru) Port, India.
The Beedi Leaves were found concealed in the front part of the container among the onion sacks.
The detections were made by Customs Officers Sasanka Kiyanaarachchi, Lamahewa, W.R.P. Wickramarathne, Ajith L. Siriwardane, A.S. Liyanaarachchi, A.K.G Indika, L.S.J. Aravinda, Vipul Gunasekera, Sahan Jayasinghe, Sumith Waragammana, Palitha Kodikara, Y.S.D. Alwis, Customs Deputy director Wasantha Silva and Malik Perera, Janaka Fernando and Sreelal de Alwis.
