22 monks detained at airport in historic drug bust

Twenty two Sri Lankan monks returning from Thailand were apprehended at the primary international airport with an unprecedented 242 pounds of strong cannabis, officials stated.

A Sri Lanka Customs spokesperson reported that the group, coming back after a four-day holiday in the capital of Thailand, had Kush—a potent, natural variety of cannabis—concealed in their baggage.

"Each of them carried approximately five kilograms of the substance hidden behind false sections in their luggage," said the spokesperson, mentioning that the monks were turned over to law enforcement.

They were slated to appear before a judge later on Sunday.

The monks, mainly young learners from various Sri Lankan temples, were on a vacation funded by a businessman.

Customs officials noted it was the largest single capture of Kush at the main international airport in the South Asian nation.

In May of last year, a 21-year-old woman from the UK was detained with 101 pounds of the drug at the same airport. Identified as Charlotte May Lee, she claimed she had traveled from Bangkok to Colombo to renew her Thai visa.

The BBC reported that she declared unawareness of the drugs in her bags and suggested they were placed there at her Bangkok hotel.

In June 2025, Sri Lankan customs intercepted a woman and confiscated the largest cocaine shipment ever discovered at the country's major airport.

Authorities stated that the unidentified 38-year-old Thai woman had around 22 pounds of cocaine hidden within three plush toys.

Officials in Sri Lanka have also discovered numerous large quantities of heroin and other drugs smuggled in through small fishing vessels over the years.

The recent arrests mark not the first occasion when monks have violated drug laws.

In 2022, all monks at a Buddhist temple in central Thailand were defrocked after they tested positive for methamphetamine. The monks were sent for drug treatment at a health clinic.

In 2017, police in Myanmar reported that a Buddhist monk was detained after authorities discovered over 4 million methamphetamine tablets in his vehicle and at his monastery.