Twenty-two Buddhist monks were arrested at Sri Lanka’s international airport on Saturday for allegedly smuggling a record-breaking 242 pounds of marijuana — estimated to be worth $3.4 million — inside their luggage.
The accused, primarily comprised of monks in training, allegedly stashed exactly “five kilos of the narcotic” apiece behind “false walls” in their luggage, according to a Sri Lanka Customs spokesman.
In all, authorities seized a whopping 242 pounds of kush, an extremely potent strain of marijuana. The remainder of the space in their suitcases was filled with school supplies and candy, the BBC reported.
The pious pupils were returning to Sri Lanka after a four-day trip to Thailand. An unnamed sponsor paid for the entire trip, investigators said.
A 23rd monk who is believed to have organized the trip was later arrested in Sri Lanka, the BBC reported. The man told the students that the drug-filled packages were “a donation” that they would hand over when they landed back in Sri Lanka, cops said.
Customs officials said that the seizure was the largest single detection of kush in the airport’s history.
Police estimated that the entire potluck would sell for £2.5 million, or around $3.4 million, on the streets.
Senior Buddhist clergy issued a joint statement labeling the accused as “imposter monks” using their religious garb to disguise their criminal activity, local outlets reported.
Police, though, said that many of the alleged smugglers hailed from various Buddhist temples and educational institutions across Sri Lanka.
The 22 monks were remanded in custody for seven days for further questioning after their first court appearance on Sunday.
While authorities did note that they’ve rarely, if ever, had run-ins with smuggling monks, it isn’t the first time the devout have defied their calling.
In 2022, every single monk at a Buddhist temple in Thailand was defrocked and shipped off to rehab after they tested positive for methamphetamine.
In 2017, one Buddhist monk was arrested in Myanmar when authorities uncovered 4 million meth pills in his car and his monastery.
