Sri Lankan monks arrested after 110kg of cannabis discovered in their luggage

Officials say each monk was found with around 5kg of Kush - a particularly potent form of the drug - hidden within "false walls" in their luggage. Sri Lankan monks arrested after cannabis discovered in luggage Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Two of the arrested monks arriving at court on Sunday Two monks, wearing traditional orange attire, try to conceal their faces as they walk up stone stairway outside a building which can't be seen Sri Lankan monks arrested after 110kg of cannabis discovered in their luggage Twenty-two monks have been arrested at an airport in Sri Lanka after officials discovered 110kg (242lbs) of cannabis concealed in their luggage. Customs officials said each monk was found with around 5kg of Kush - a particularly potent form of the drug - hidden within "false walls" in their luggage when they arrived in the capital Colombo on Saturday. The monks, who were mainly students, were returning from Thailand after being treated to an all-expenses-paid four-day holiday by an unnamed sponsor when they were detained. A 23rd monk, believed to have organised the trip, has since been arrested in a suburb of Colombo, police told BBC Sinhala. According to the acting police spokesman, the monk - who did not join the trip - had told the other monks that "these parcels are a donation" and that a van would come to collect the packages. Sri Lanka's Police Narcotics Bureau discovered photos and videos on the mobile phones of some of the monks, who were from temples across Sri Lanka, showing them enjoying their break wearing casual clothing. Pictures like this one were found on phones belonging to the monks, showing them enjoying their holiday A monk relaxes on a balcony, smoking a cigarette, his robe down around his waist The 22 monks were remanded in custody for seven days for further questioning after appearing in court on Sunday. Police told BBC Sinhala they believed the monks potentially did not know what they were carrying. The drugs were found in among school supplies and sweets. It is thought to be the first time a group of monks have been arrested on suspicion of smuggling drugs into the country through the airport. Gawdland spoke to the BBC shortly after she was crowned the winner of RuPaul's Drag Race UK versus the World. After having his passport confiscated by police, Rory McColl was released on bail but unable to leave the country. Jordan Wright, 33, from The Only Way Is Essex, was found last month near Phuket, an inquest hears. The incident is the latest in a series of US strikes on alleged drug trafficking boats. Eleven men are convicted and imprisoned for their roles in smuggling 150 million illegal cigarettes. Officials are not clear how the money, set to form part of a bilateral debt repayment to Australia, was stolen. Colin Benson and Joshua Rose are convicted after 14 packages of cocaine were seized from a speedboat. Medical marijuana was moved into a lower category of drugs in order to increase research and access.