COLOMBO: Over Rs.600 million in gold and foreign currencies were confiscated by the State after being detected during smuggling attempts in 2015, Sri Lanka Customs said.
Speaking to Nation, Customs Media Spokesman Leslie Gamini said Customs officials had stopped 47 attempts to smuggling in gold to the country last year. A total of 41 kilograms of gold valued at Rs.206 million were confiscated in these cases. Customs also thwarted 24 attempts to smuggle gold out of the country, confiscating 20.8 kilograms of gold worth Rs.97.8 million, he further disclosed. As such, a combined haul of 61.8kg of gold valued at Rs.303.8 million was confiscated by the State last year in the smuggling attempts that were detected.
Thirty-nine attempts to smuggle out foreign currency were also detected last year, leading to the confiscation of Rs.303 million in foreign currency. Five Wallapatta smuggling attempts were foiled, where officials detected 80.7 kilograms of the indigenous plant valued at Rs.27.3 million.
In addition, seven attempts to smuggle in narcotics were also detected. Four of these were attempts to smuggle in heroin, while two attempts to smuggle in hashish were also detected. The other incident involved an attempt to smuggle in cocaine, the Customs Media Spokesman further disclosed.
The above information relates to smuggling attempts foiled at both the Bandaranaike and Mattala International Airports.
Gamini also noted Sri Lanka Customs had earned a total revenue estimated at Rs.710 billion during the 2015 financial year.
