Sept 13, Colombo: A group of officials from the Customs Narcotics Control Division has seized a cache of cocaine hidden in an air mail parcel sent from Brazil at the DHL warehouse at Air cargo Terminal at Katunayake.

The officials have found a stock of cocaine weighing 2.5 kg worth over Rs.190 million inside the parcel sent by air cargo.

This airmail parcel has been sent to an address in Maradana area of Colombo on August 21, and the cocaine stock was carefully hidden in a volleyball net.

The person to whom the parcel was addressed to in Maradana area has sent two persons authorized to receive the parcel and the Custom officers have opened the parcel in front of the two individuals finding the concealed drugs.

The two individuals were arrested after chemical tests confirmed that the parcel contained cocaine.

State Minister of Finance Ranjith Siyambalapitiya who was also present at the DHL premises at the Katunayake Airport air cargo terminal to observe the arrest expressed his gratitude to the officers of the Customs Narcotics Control Division for preventing the attempt to bring cocaine into Sri Lanka by a new method.

The two arrested persons and the cache of cocaine have been handed over to the officers of Katunayake Airport Police Narcotics Bureau for further investigations.