With the recent discovery of importing hazardous waste in containers into the island, Sri Lanka Customs is set strengthen the customs clearance and inspection of cargo.
Rapiscan Security Products Ltd will supply four high-tech scanners soon and it will be installed at customs' examination centres by next month, Customs Media spokesman and Director Sunil Jayaratne said.
This new arrangement will help officers from customs to carry out their duties in the face of a rapid increase in imports of narcotics, hazardous waste, and gold hidden in containers in to the island.
International cocaine smugglers are increasingly turning to Sri Lanka as a transit hub in Asia, presidential secretariat sources said.
Details of a scam where sand mixed with gold to smuggle it out of Sri Lanka have also been unearthed recently.
It has been revealed that gold mixed by-products disposed of by three jewellery manufacturers were due to be smuggled out of the country in the guise of exporting sand.
Several containers with such gold mixed sand were seized by customs officials.
According to the latest Auditor General's report, 51 containers with gold mixed sand were smuggled overseas through the Customs.
According to the special audit report, the quantity of gold being smuggled after mixing with sand is more than the number of gold fragments being disposed of by jewellery manufacturers.
The report revealed that the 51 containers were exported to countries including India, China,Korea,Thailand and Singapore
The containers were exported using a permit which allows sand exports only to India.
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