Colombo: Authorities here have confiscated over 5 lakh beedis and cigarettes worth Sri Lankan Rupees one million illegally brought from India.
The offenders were today slapped with a fine of SLR 4 lakh, officials said.
"We seized 5 lakh beedis and 12,000 cigarettes from some people, including Indians, on a tip-off that they were bringing in these items illegally into the city," Commissioner General of Excise DGMV Hapuarachcchi told PTI.
The consignment was seized yesterday from a luxury van, hidden under textiles, reports said.
The authorities in Sri Lanka usually destroy the illegally imported cigarettes to ensure the country does not lose on revenues.
Late last year, Sri Lankan custom officials destroyed a consignment of five million cigarettes worth SLR 100 million illegally imported from Middle East into the country.
