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Anyone who decides to become a Buddhist monk does so knowing they’re committing to a lifestyle defined by the hundreds of vows they’re required to adhere to. That includes abstaining from mind-altering substances and perpetrating crimes, and a group of nearly two dozen that was recently traveling from Thailand to Sri Lanka certainly appeared to break them after ending up at the center of a historic drug bust.
Many religions boast groups of adherents who have essentially devoted their lives to studying and spreading their belief systems. That includes Buddhism, which boasts hundreds of thousands of monks known as “bhikkhu” who have decided to pursue a life that revolves around the 227 vows they are required to take to become fully ordained.
Those vows include a commitment to celibacy, the repudiation of most earthly possessions, and abstention from drugs and alcohol. They are intended to allow monks to focus on their goal of achieving supreme wisdom without being distracted by the temptations many “regular” people have to deal with in day-to-day life, but one group landed in very hot water for allegedly attempting to smuggle hundreds of pounds of marijuana out of Thailand.
22 Buddhist monks were arrested at an airport in Sri Lanka after being caught with weed hidden inside their luggage
Buddhist monks rely on generous benefactors to fund their lifestyle, and according to The Independent, 22 men hailing from Sri Lanka recently made the trek to Thailand after a sponsor identified only as a “businessman” provided them with airplane tickets for the journey.
The group arrived in Bangkok on April 22nd, and they reportedly attracted the attention of authorities after trading their signature orange robes for normal clothes while “engaging in activities deemed suspicious.” Things came to a head when they headed back to their country of origin, as customs officials at Bandaranaike International Airport conducted a search that resulted in a very sizeable seizure of drugs.
The monks traveled with suitcases that were filled with “school supplies and assorted sweets” but also featured hidden compartments they used to hide a potent strain of marijuana authorities referred to as “Kush” as well as hashish.
Each piece of luggage contained around five kilograms of the drugs, which are decidedly outlawed in Sri Lanka. The haul totaled 110 kilos (~242 pounds) and had an estimated street value of around $3.4 million, which marked the largest bust in the airport’s history.
According to the Tamil Guardian, high-ranking Buddhist officials in Sri Lanka distanced themselves from what they referred to as “imposter monks” while accusing them of ” exploiting the monastic robe for criminal activity.” Police have launched an investigation in an attempt to determine if the bust is linked to a larger trafficking network, and a judge ordered the monks to remain in custody until at least May 2nd.