A 21-year-old Canadian student has been arrested by the Customs Narcotics Control Division at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), Katunayake, while attempting to smuggle a large stock of hashish valued at Rs. 182.5 million through the Green Channel early this morning.

The suspect had arrived from Dubai around midnight aboard a private airline, when Customs officers, acting on suspicion, conducted a thorough inspection of his luggage.

During the search, officials uncovered 18 kilograms and 253 grams of hashish, neatly packed into 72 smaller packets concealed within six large polythene packages.

The arrested suspect, identified as a Canadian national reportedly pursuing higher education, along with the seized narcotics, was handed over to the Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) officers stationed at the Katunayake Airport for further investigation.