Twenty-two Buddhist monks are in Sri Lankan police custody after customs officials found 110kg of high-grade cannabis concealed in their luggage, the largest ever drug bust at Colombo’s main international airport.

The group, mostly junior monks in training from temples across Sri Lanka, were alleged to have “carried about five kilos of the narcotic concealed within false walls in their luggage”, according to a Sri Lanka customs spokesperson.

The monks had spent four days on holiday in Bangkok and had “kush”, a potent strain of cannabis, hidden in their luggage when returning to Bandaranaike airport on Saturday, the spokesperson said.…