22 Buddhist monks arrested at Sri Lanka airport with over 110kg of Kush in luggage

On Sunday, April 26, Sri Lanka Customs arrested 22 Buddhist monks at Bandaranaike International Airport after finding 110 kilograms of Kush concealed in their luggage.

The group had returned from a four-day trip to Bangkok, Thailand, and were intercepted upon arrival at the country's main international airport outside Colombo.

Kush is a potent, plant-based cannabis strain that descends from the Hindu Kush mountains. Authorities said each monk carried approximately five kilograms of the drug hidden within false walls in their bags.

The seized narcotics were valued around USD3.46 million (INR1.1 billion), and customs officials described it as the largest single detection of Kush at the airport.

Most of those arrested were young student monks from temples across Sri Lanka, and their trip to Bangkok had been sponsored by a businessman who has not been named by authorities.

The Bangkok-to-Colombo route has been flagged in prior drug seizures at the same airport; in May last year, a 21-year-old British woman was arrested carrying 46 kilograms of Kush on the same route.

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As reported by Daily Mirror, the Mahanayaka Theros (high-ranking Buddhist monks) of Sri Lanka's three main Nikayas (Siyam, Amarapura, and Ramanna) have issued a joint statement condemning the incident.

They referred to those involved as “monk impersonators” who had misused saffron robes to transport narcotics, and described the acts as “anti-Sasana” and unlawful.

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The Chief Prelates said the actions had damaged the reputation of the Buddhist clergy locally and internationally, and that those involved had abused the respect accorded to monks in Sri Lankan society.

The statement called for all identified monk impersonators to be prosecuted under the law, and confirmed that each Nikaya (order) would conduct its own inquiry and expel those found guilty from the monastic order

The Mahanayaka Theros also pressed law enforcement to investigate drug networks recruiting young monks, and called on senior Buddhist teachers to tighten supervision of novice monks.

Amira Waworuntu is Mixmag Asia’s Managing Editor, follow her on Instagram.

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