Sri Lankan authorities have arrested a 26-year-old Kenyan who was found with cocaine.

The 26-year-old was found with cocaine with an estimated value of Ksh 532 million.

According to authorities, the Kenyan National is a car dealer who was in Sri Lanka on business.

Kenyan suspect travel route

The Kenyan had arrived in Sri Lanka from Ethiopia, with a transit stop in Doha, Qatar, before reaching Katunayake Bandaranaike International Airport.

However, Upon checking of his luggage, customs authorities discovered 180 capsules of cocaine.

Nevertheless, the drugs had been strategically concealed within three metal cookie tins hoping to pass check as declared edibles/

Moreover, the Sri Lankan authorities did not share the identity of the Kenyan car dealer.

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Attempts to escape

The suspect in question had tried to exit the country through the ‘green channel,’

‘Green Channel’ is a designated lane typically reserved for passengers with goods with admissible duty-free allowance.

The goods must also be without restricted or excessive items in order to pass the ‘Green Channel.

However, suspicions arose during his passage, prompting a thorough search of his items leading to the shocking discovery.

According to a Sri Lankan publication report, the arrest was made based on foreign intelligence received by the Customs narcotics control unit.

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While the ‘green channel’ is usually meant for passengers with no Customs formalities, random checks, including luggage scanning and physical examinations, can be conducted as needed.

The Kenyan national was a first-time visitor to Sri Lanka, nevertheless, foreign intelligence had already briefed the Customs Narcotics units.

In addition, the Kenyan national is currently in the custody of the Katunayake Airport Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB).

The suspect is being held pending further investigation on details about the origin of the drugs and other key players.

However, Sri Lankan authorities have a reason to believe that the Kenyan was not working alone and a network could be involved.

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