Twenty-two Buddhist monks were found with 110kg of narcotics hidden in their luggage at Sri Lanka’s main international airport, police said.
The monks were remanded in custody until 2 May by a court in Negombo after what police said was the largest drugs bust in the Bandaranaike international airport’s history.
The suspects were produced before the Negombo Magistrate’s Court after being detained at the airport in Katunayake, near Colombo, on Saturday, reported local outlet, the Daily Mirror.
Authorities described the interception as the biggest single detection of potent, plant-based strain of cannabis called kush.
Police and customs officers said the group arrived from Bangkok, Thailand, at about 10.10pm on 25 April.
Investigators said the monks had travelled to Bangkok on 22 April using airline tickets allegedly arranged by a sponsor.
Officials said more than 110kg of suspected kush and hashish were found concealed inside specially prepared luggage with false walls and bottoms. The bags were reportedly packed with school supplies and assorted sweets.
A Sri Lanka Customs spokesperson told AFP: “Each carried about five kilos of the narcotic concealed within false walls in their luggage.”
The seized drugs were valued at more than £2.5m on the street, according to police.
Authorities alleged the group had been photographed in civilian clothing while overseas and engaged in activities they considered suspicious.
Police said the detainees were mostly young monks from temples and institutions across Sri Lanka and were pursuing higher education. They added that this was the first reported large-scale narcotics case at the airport involving individuals wearing monastic robes.
Senior Buddhist clergy, including the chief prelates of the main Nikayas – the principal Buddhist monastic order in Sri Lanka – issued a joint statement condemning those accused as “impostor monks” exploiting religious dress for criminal activity, reported local daily, the Tamil Guardian.
The Mahanayaka Theros, or the senior-most prelates in those orders, called for a full investigation, stricter oversight within religious institutions, and action against those said to be ‘misusing’ the saffron robe.
Police said further inquiries were continuing to determine where the drugs came from, who financed the operation, and whether others were connected to a wider trafficking network.
Sri Lankan authorities have previously made major narcotics seizures linked to Bangkok routes.
A 21-year-old British woman was arrested at the same airport in May last year with 46kg of the drug while travelling to Colombo from Bangkok. Officials have also reported several large heroin and other drug hauls smuggled by small fishing boats in recent years.
