Record haul of cocaine found inside woman's plush toys at airport
The unnamed 38-year-old Thai woman was carrying nearly 10 kilograms (22 pounds) of cocaine stuffed into three plush toys, Customs Additional Director-General Seevali Arukgoda said.
"This is the biggest attempt at cocaine smuggling stopped by Sri Lanka Customs at the airport," Arukgoda said in a statement.
Customs officials at Bandaranaike International Airport posed for photos with the cocaine, which had been neatly stuffed into just over 500 plastic capsules, with an estimated street value of $1.72 million.
The seizure follows three other hauls this month totaling nearly 60 kilograms of synthetic cannabis.
Three foreign nationals -- from Britain, India, and Thailand -- were arrested in separate cases.
The Briton, identified as Charlotte May Lee, 21, a former cabin crew member from London, was produced before a magistrate on Friday and further remanded until June 13, court officials said.
She was arrested on May 12 when officials discovered that her two suitcases were packed with 46 kilograms of kush, a synthetic drug.
Lee told the BBC she had travelled from Bangkok to Sri Lanka's capital Colombo to renew her Thai visa. She described her living conditions at a prison in Negombo, a city just north of the capital, saying she spends most of her day inside, although she does get to go outside for fresh air.
"I have never been to prison and I've never been to Sri Lanka," she told the BBC. "This heat and just sitting on a concrete floor all of the time."
All four suspects, including the Thai woman arrested on Friday, could face life imprisonment if convicted.
Sri Lankan authorities have previously seized large quantities of heroin off the country's shores, suggesting the island is being used as a transit hub for narcotics destined for other locations.
In October, a Sri Lankan court sentenced 10 Iranian men to life imprisonment after they pleaded guilty to smuggling more than 111 kilograms of heroin. In 2023, nine Iranians received life sentences in a separate drug smuggling case.
Sri Lanka's largest single seizure of narcotics occurred in December 2016, when Customs found 800 kilograms (1,760 pounds) of cocaine in a shipment container of timber addressed to a company in neighboring India.
The wonderfully weird world of artist Luigi Serafini
Fans turn out for estate sale at home of Tom Petty
Dozens killed in attack near Gaza aid delivery point, witnesses blame IDF, Israel denies involvement
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
37 minutes ago
- Yahoo
'Daftest' city flytipper caught on camera
A Coventry City Council employee has posted what they believe could be the "daftest" video yet of fly-tipping in the city. The local authority has run a series of videos entitled "Coventry Wall of Shame", highlighting illegal dumping in the city. The most recent video includes a clip of a man on a bicycle with a large, round object balanced on his head. The incident took place on Bedlam Lane on 10 June, and anyone with information is urged to contact the council. "I've been making these videos for about a year, and this might be the daftest clip I've had yet," the council commentator said. "I can't tell if it's a lampshade or some sort of chair thing. What I do know is that it took place at 22:45 BST on Bedlam Lane on 10 June." Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. More on this story Rubbish returns a day after alleyways cleared Man accused over 27 tonne fly-tipped pile remanded Fly-tippers dump mannequin at beauty spot Related internet links Coventry City Council
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Staff at ex-BBC site are 'custodians of legacy'
Staff at a former BBC radio transmission station that opened 100 years ago say they are "custodians of the legacy". The station on Borough Hill in Daventry, Northamptonshire, opened on 27 July 1925. It beamed the BBC World Service across the globe for 60 years before closing in 1992. The site is now occupied by telecommunications firm Arqiva and maintains transmitters across the country. The landmark site once had 40 masts and towers, but now one solitary 100m (328ft) mast remains, transmitting digital radio. The transmitter halls at Borough Hill look very different now, too. They were once home to huge racks of equipment, with glowing water-cooled valves, flashing lights and indicator needles in glass cases. Now they are now full of metal shelves and look very like any of the dozens of warehouses that have sprung up in Daventry since the BBC arrived. But the Arqiva staff here have not forgotten the role played by this hilltop encampment in the BBC days. Stuart Turpin, warehouse and logistics lead at the site, said he was "a custodian of the legacy - you're looking after the place, you're doing your best to maintain it as well, and keep the legacy going". The warehouses hold spares for transmitters across the UK - anything from a small lithium battery to a giant antenna. A small team of engineers repairs broken transmitter components and tests them thoroughly before sending them back out. Phil Critchley, a senior engineer, said: "This is vital - this is what keeps the broadcast network on air. "Anything that's out in the field, at a transmitter site, is replicated here at Daventry so we can make sure it's working, ready to be used again." Mr Critchley said he lived in Daventry as a child and would "look up at Borough Hill thinking 'what a wonderful place it would be to work'. "So here I am." Another key part of the site's role now is what is called disaster recovery (DR). If a transmitter collapses, catches fire or just refuses to work, there are mobile cabins that can be sent out with all the equipment needed to get TV or radio services back on air, including temporary masts. Alan Storer, an engineer, was involved in restoring services when the Bilsdale mast in North Yorkshire caught fire, disrupting TV and radio for a million people. "We got most of the services up and running within the first week," he said. "We had DR containers placed in places so that work [on a permanent replacement] could carry on but services would still be broadcast." He added that the history of Borough Hill was one of the things that inspired him to get a job there. "It's a dream come true for me," he said. Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. More related stories Town marks centenary of making radio history B BC centenary marked at first national radio transmitter Transmitter fire disrupts TV and radio signals Related internet links Arqiva Daventry Museum 100 Years On exhibition
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Gregg Wallace: I'm not a 'sex pest'
Gregg Wallace has insisted he is 'not a sex pest'. The 60-year-old former MasterChef host was sacked by the BBC after the investigation into his alleged inappropriate behaviour was released, with 45 out of 83 allegations substantiated, including claims of inappropriate sexual language, humour, and one reported incident of "unwelcome physical contact". However, Gregg has insisted he is 'not a groper, a sex pest or a flasher'. He told The Sun: 'I'm not saying I'm not guilty of stuff, but so much has been perceived incorrectly. Things that really hurt me and hurt my family. 'People think I've been taking my trousers down and exposing myself – I'm not a flasher. 'People think I'm a sex pest. I am not. I am not sexist or a misogynist or any of it. There never were any allegations of sexual harassment.' Gregg insisted his actions had been 'perceived incorrectly' and said they were the result of learned behaviour and workplace culture. Gregg also defended his fellow former MasterChef star John Torode, who was also sacked. The report upheld an allegation of an "extremely offensive racist term being used in the workplace", with John, 60, later identifying himself as the individual alleged to have used racist language in 2018 or 2019, "for the sake of transparency" in an Instagram post. On July 15, the corporation announced that John's contract would not be renewed. Torode denied using a racist word and said he has "no recollection" of using racist language. Gregg said: 'He's not a racist.' Meanwhile, the BBC recently announced that after "careful consideration and consultation with the contestants", it will air John and Gregg's last series of MasterChef - which was filmed in 2024 - on BBC One and BBC iPlayer from August 6, to respect the cooks who gave "so much to the process".
