Twenty-two Sri Lankan Buddhist monks who had just returned from Thailand were arrested on April 25 at an airport in Colombo, Sri Lanka, after customs officers allegedly found cannabis hidden in their luggage.
BBC reported yesterday, April 27, that the monks were detained after officers found 110 kilogrammes of cannabis concealed in secret compartments inside their suitcases.
Sri Lankan customs officers said each monk allegedly carried around 5 kilogrammes of Kush, a potent cannabis strain. The cannabis was reportedly stored alongside school supplies and snacks.
The group, mostly made up of student monks, had just returned from a four-day Thailand trip funded entirely by an unnamed sponsor.
Police told BBC Sinhala that officers later arrested a 23rd monk in a Colombo suburb on suspicion of organising the trip, although he did not travel with the group.
The 23rd monk allegedly told the other monks that the packages were donations and that a van would collect them after their arrival.
Sri Lanka’s anti-narcotics office also found photos and videos on some of the monks’ phones. They were seen enjoying the trip and wearing ordinary clothes during the visit.
Thairath reported that after appearing in court on April 26, the 22 monks were remanded for seven days for further questioning.
Local police told BBC Sinhala that they believe it is possible the monks did not know what they were carrying.
The case is believed to be the first in Sri Lanka in which a group of monks has been arrested on suspicion of smuggling drugs through an airport.
In similar news, a group of novice Buddhist monks were kicked out of monkhood after they were caught smoking cannabis at a famous temple in Buriram province in Thailand.
The young men, who had been ordained for a total of 4 days, were taking part in a drug addiction programme jointly run by Thailand’s Buddhist Sangha and the court.
The story Sri Lankan monks’ Thailand trip goes up in smoke after cannabis bust as seen on Thaiger News.
