HIGH FLIERS

22 Buddhist Monks Arrested in Massive Airport Drug Bust

The monks attempted to smuggle 242 pounds of cannabis.

Twenty-two Sri Lankan monks were arrested on Sunday for attempting to smuggle 242 pounds of cannabis into the country. “Each carried about five kilos of the narcotic concealed within false walls in their luggage,” a Sri Lanka Customs spokesman said in a statement. The group consisted of student monks returning from an all-expenses-paid, four-day holiday in Thailand when authorities apprehended them at Sri Lanka’s main international airport. This seizure marks the largest single detection of Kush—a potent strain of cannabis originating from the Hindu Kush mountain range—at the international airport. The monk who organized the trip was later arrested after being found in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The acting police spokesperson told the BBC that the 23rd monk had informed the others that the “parcels” were a donation and that authorities believe the young monks may not have known exactly what they were carrying in their bags. The students appeared before a magistrate on Sunday and are required to remain in custody for the next week for further questioning by police.