• 6 arrested in Haldummulla for guarding 6 cannabis cultivations 

A 28-year old Sri Lankan national has been arrested by officers of the Narcotics Control Unit of the Customs for attempting to smuggle nearly 2.7 kilograms of ‘Kush’ cannabis into the country. The suspect had arrived in the country from Bangkok, Thailand via Chennai, India carrying the seized consignment of ‘Kush’ with an estimated street value of over Rs. 21 million. The arrest was made yesterday (3) at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in Katunayake when the passenger arrived in the country onboard IndiGo flight 6E 1171. The narcotics were discovered concealed inside the suspect’s checked luggage.

Following preliminary investigations, the suspect and the recovered narcotics were handed over to the Police Narcotics Bureau for further investigations.

Meanwhile, six cannabis cultivations within the Akkara Seeya Forest Reserve in Haldummulla have been raided by the Police, and six individuals who were guarding the cultivations have been arrested by the Haldummulla Police. The cultivations contained over 85,000 mature cannabis plants and four small nurseries, all of which were burnt and destroyed during the operation, according to the Police. 

The arrested suspects have been identified as residents of the Hambegamuwa and Kalthota areas. The raid had been conducted following a tip-off received by the Officer-in-Charge of the Haldummulla Police. The arrested suspects were scheduled to be produced before the Bandarawela Magistrate’s Court yesterday.