Author name: Tharindu Withanage

Officers from the Settikulam camp of the Police Special Task Force arrested a person who was in possession of 800 pills of narcotics without a medical prescription or a proper license for transportation and was staying near the Pulleyar Kovil in the Anuradhapura Police Division on the night of 14.12.2025. The suspect has been identified as a 25-year-old resident of the Matale Junction area in Anuradhapura and has been handed over to the Anuradhapura Police for further investigations. An individual who was in possession of 48 pills of narcotics was also arrested on the same day by officers from the Panadura sub-camp of the Police Special Task Force in the Dawatagahawatte, Madupitiya area. The suspect, who is 50 years old, is a resident of the Mahawaskaduwa area in Waskaduwa. He has been handed over to the Pinwatte Police for further investigations. A team of officers attached to the Kalubowila camp conducted a raid in the Nawinna area of Maharagama at around 10.00 pm on 14.12.2025 and arrested a person who was in possession of 01 gram 940 mg of Kush and 09 pieces of marijuana. The suspect is a 37-year-old resident of the same area. He has been handed over to the Maharagama Police for further investigations.

A person was arrested at the arrival terminal of the Bandaranaike International Airport, Katunayake, on the morning of 14.12.2025, for possession and trafficking of 02kg and 308g of heroin. The Police Narcotics Bureau Airport Unit conducted an investigation and arrested the suspect based on a tip-off and identified him as a 28-year-old resident of Rambukkana. The suspect is scheduled to be produced before the Negombo Magistrate’s Court today, 14.12.2025, to obtain a detention order. Further investigations are underway by the Police Narcotics Bureau Airport Unit.

Following an investigation in accordance with the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, a 39-year-old drug trafficker residing in Ibbagamuwa, has been ordered to freeze the following properties and assets purchased with the proceeds of drug trafficking for a period of 7 days from 10.12.2025. A cab worth Rs. 5,400,000/=, a van worth Rs. 14,500,000/=, a personal bank account in Kurunegala with Rs. 4,566,805.30 deposited, a personal bank account in Kurunegala with Rs. 35,956,514.66 deposited, a personal bank account in Ibbagamuwa with Rs. 12,623,628.81 deposited, a personal bank account in Kurunegala with Rs. 19,883,810.23 deposited, a personal bank account in Kurunegala with Rs. 118.31 deposited, a personal bank account in Kurunegala with US$ 544.66 deposited (foreign currency) are the properties and assets. The Investigation Division has conducted an investigation based on the complaint filed by the Police Narcotics Bureau. Earlier, when the Police Narcotics Bureau arrested the suspect and produced him before the Kurunegala Magistrate’s Court, the amount of Rs. 283,300,000/= (Twenty-eight crores thirty-three lakhs) illegally acquired by the suspect was taken into custody by the court and deposited in the court account. Accordingly, the total amount is Rs. 376,230,877.31 (Thirty-seven crores sixty-two lakhs thirty thousand eight hundred seventy-seven hundred thirty-three). The Investigation Division is conducting investigations under the instructions and direct supervision of the Inspector General of Police to deactivate all such illegally acquired assets and properties.

Based on a complaint filed by the Police Narcotics Bureau, the Illegal Assets Investigation Division has launched an investigation under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act into properties and assets allegedly acquired by a 52-year-old drug trafficker residing in the Hambegamuwa area of Thanamalwila. Investigations revealed that the suspect has a history of criminal activity related to drug possession and drug trafficking. He has previously been arrested by several police stations across the island and produced before the Honorable Courts in connection with these offences. During the course of the assets investigation, it was uncovered that the suspect had acquired a number of properties using money earned through illegal activities and had registered these assets in the name of his wife. Accordingly, the Embilipitiya and Tangalle High Courts have issued orders under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act to freeze these properties. The said orders have been extended for a further period of seven days with effect from 11 December 2025. The frozen properties and assets are as follows: I. A pharmacy located in the Embilipitiya area, valued at approximately Rs. 30 million. II. A 39.5-perch land and a hotel in the Embilipitiya area, valued at approximately Rs. 70 million. III. A land and a building with two shops located in the Middeniya area, valued at approximately Rs. 15 million. IV. A land and a building with a shop in Middeniya, valued at approximately Rs. 7.5 million. V. Another land and a building with a shop in Middeniya, valued at approximately Rs. 7.5 million. VI. A 25-perch land and a two-storey house in Keerawela Katuwa, Embilipitiya, valued at approximately Rs. 35 million. VII. A land and a two-storey building with a shop located on Panamura Road, Middeniya, valued at approximately Rs. 15 million. The total value of the frozen properties exceeds Rs. 180 million. The Illegal Assets Investigation Division is continuing the necessary legal procedures to take possession of these illegally acquired properties and assets. Further investigations are also underway to identify and freeze any additional assets obtained through unlawful means, under the instructions and direct supervision of the Inspector General of Police.  

Five suspects who acted as members of an unlawful assembly by premeditating, conspiring and aiding and abetting the murder of a person have been arrested in the Ratmalana area of the Dehiwala Police Division on the morning of 10.12.2025. The arrests were made based on information received by the Western Province Southern District Crime Division. It has been revealed that the murder was planned to be carried out as revenge for the crime of killing a person and seriously injuring another person by shooting them with a firearm near a playground in the Wanarathana Road area of the Dehiwala Police Division on 06.12.2025. The five suspects are aged between 22 and 36 years and are residents of Pankulama, Ratmalana, Boralesgamuwa and Moratuwa areas. The suspect, a resident of Pankulama, was arrested and found in possession of 15 grams of heroin. He was the shooter in the crime of shooting and killing a resident of Badowita area in Mount Lavinia Police Division on 19.01.2025 and is currently facing trial at the Mount Lavinia Magistrate’s Court in connection with that crime. Furthermore, based on information revealed by the suspects, a motorcycle that was prepared to be used to commit the crime has also been recovered. According to the registration of the number plate attached to the motorcycle, it has been revealed that it is the number of a motorcycle that was stolen in the Homagama Police Division. The suspects will be produced before the Mount Lavinia Magistrate’s Court today, 11.12.2025, and the Western Province Southern District Crime Division is conducting further investigations.

On the night of 09.12.2025, officers of the Commercial Crimes Investigation Division of the Criminal Investigation Department arrested a suspect and a suspect for having contacts with organised criminals, possessing ammunition, transferring money belonging to organised criminals into bank accounts and aiding and abetting organized criminals. The suspect is a 32-year-old resident of Meegoda and the suspect is a 25-year-old resident of Embilipitiya. During a search of the room of a lodge in Colombo 10 where the suspect and suspect were temporarily staying, 15 9 mm live cartridges were found hidden in a laptop bag belonging to the suspect, and upon the suspect’s statement, a house in the Thunkama area of the Kuttigala Police Division was searched and a sum of Rs. 1,534,000/=, suspected to have been earned through drug trafficking or organized crime, was found hidden in a cupboard in the house. It has also been revealed that the suspect and suspect are relatives of an organised criminal currently detained at the Western Province North Crime Division on detention orders and the Criminal Investigation Department is holding them under 72-hour detention orders and conducting further investigations.