Sri Lanka Customs seizes record $1.72M worth of cocaine hidden in stuffed toys from a Thai woman arriving from Doha. Largest airport drug bust in the country’s history.
A 38-year-old woman from Thailand, whose identity has not yet been released, arrived from Doha and was found carrying nearly 10 kilograms (22 pounds) of cocaine ingeniously packed inside three plush toys, according to Sri Lanka Customs’ Additional Director-General Seevali Arukgoda. “This is the biggest attempt at cocaine smuggling stopped by Sri Lanka Customs at the airport,” Arukgoda confirmed.
The stash, worth an estimated $1.72 million on the street, was concealed in over 500 plastic capsules inside the toys. Officials at Bandaranaike International Airport proudly posed with the confiscated narcotics following the seizure.
This record-breaking bust comes on the heels of three other drug hauls earlier this month, involving nearly 60 kilograms of synthetic cannabis. Among those arrested in the separate incidents were nationals from Britain, India, and Thailand.
One of the arrestees, 21-year-old Charlotte May Lee from London… a former flight attendant… was caught with 46 kilograms of “kush”, a potent synthetic drug, in her luggage on May 12. She claimed she had traveled from Bangkok to Colombo to renew her Thai visa.
Speaking to the BBC, Lee described the harsh conditions at a Negombo prison, where she remains in custody until at least June 13.
All four suspects… including the Thai woman arrested with the cocaine-filled toys… are now facing possible life sentences under Sri Lanka’s strict drug laws.
