Twenty-two Buddhist monks detained at Sri Lanka airport after 110kg narcotics bust
Updated
Updated · The Independent · Apr 27
Twenty-two Buddhist monks detained at Sri Lanka airport after 110kg narcotics bust
8 articles · Updated · The Independent · Apr 27
Authorities found kush and hashish worth over £2.5m hidden in luggage with school supplies as the monks arrived from Bangkok.
This marks the largest drug seizure in the airport's history and the first major case involving individuals in monastic robes, prompting condemnation from senior Buddhist clergy.
The monks are remanded in custody until May 2 as investigations continue into the drug's origin, financing, and possible links to wider trafficking networks via Bangkok.
Is the Bangkok-Colombo route a new superhighway for potent Kush cannabis?
What does this bust reveal about Sri Lanka's shift from drug route to destination?
How can Buddhist leaders shield young monks from the lure of international drug rings?
Were 22 monks masterminds or naive mules in a $3.46 million drug plot?
Are sacred robes the new camouflage in the global war on drugs?