Author name: Dilum Sampath

On the instructions of the Acting Inspector General of Police, a raid was conducted by the officers of the Police Narcotics Bureau’s Matara Sub-Unit in the Pokunuhena area of the Matara Police area in the early hours of today, 17.01.2025, in relation to the crime and drug prevention operation being carried out by the Sri Lanka Police throughout the island. Officers of the Matara sub-unit of the Police Narcotics Bureau conducted this raid and arrested a suspect with 08 grams of 900 milligrams of heroin, a 12-bore firearm made in Sri Lanka and 02 rounds of ammunition. The arrested suspect is a 37-year-old resident of Pokunuhena area. During the questioning of this suspect, based on the revealed information, a house in Wevahamanduwa area was checked and another suspect was arrested along with a T56 firearm, two rounds of ammunition and 60 rounds of ammunition hidden in that house. The suspect who was arrested is a 24-year-old resident of Vevahamanduwa area. During his interrogation, it has been revealed that this T56 firearm was given to him by the above first suspect to hide it. The two suspects have been handed over to the Matara Police Station along with the arrested items. Further Investigations are being carried out by Matara Police and Police Narcotics Bureau.

A suspect who was traveling by a cab possessing 18 gram of “Ice” was arrested during the raid conducted in the Kiriwaula-Thorayaya area of the Dambulla-Kurunegala road by the police officers of the Kandy Sub-Unit of the Police Narcotics Bureau on 16.01.2025 in relation to the anti-drug crime operations implemented islandwide by the Sri Lanka Police upon the instructions given by the acting Inspector General of Police. The suspect arrested is 39 years of age and a resident of Hangamuwa in Bogamuwa Police area. An amount of money with the value of twenty-three million five hundred thousand rupees (Rs. 23,500,000/-), which was suspected to be earned by trafficking heroin, and about 70 pieces of different colored stones suspected to be gemstones were found in a bag under the driver’s seat of the cab in which the suspect was traveling. Further, based on the information disclosed during the interrogation of the suspect, an amount of two hundred fifty-nine million eight hundred thousand rupees (Rs. 259,800,000/-) suspected to be earned by heroin trafficking was found in a safe in the house located in the Hangamuwa area where the suspect resides, and a van belonging to the suspect that was parked in the said house was taken into custody by the police. It has been disclosed in the investigation that this suspect is involved in drug trafficking, which was masterminded by a close relation of the suspect who is an organized criminal and also a drug trafficker currently hiding in Dubai. The said amount more than of two hundred eighty million rupees seized by the police during the said raid is to be the highest amount of money recovered during a raid. The Police Narcotics Bureau is conducting further investigations in this regard..

In keeping with the island-wide crime and drug prevention operation conducted on the instructions of the acting Inspector General of Police, officers of Nawagamuwa Police Station stopped and searched a person who had arrived in a three-wheeler in the Korathota area of the Nawagamauwa Police Division and apprehended approximately 04 kilograms of the narcotic ice and 500 grams of heroin from the suspect’s possession. The arrested suspect is a 37-year-old resident of the Korathota area. The Nawagamuwa Police are conducting further investigations.

The Kantale Police Station and the Crime Investigation Bureau of Kantale Division have initiated investigations on burgling a house and looting gold jewelry worth over Rs. 6.2 million and cash worth Rs. 267,000/= in the Kantale Police area on the night of 04.01.2025, and have arrested four suspects. Two suspects were arrested in the Katugastota area on 11.01.2025, and based on the facts revealed during further investigation regarding those two suspects, two more suspects were taken into custody in Gampola and Sampur areas. Accordingly, a portion of the stolen gold jewelry and the car used to commit the crime and to flee have also been taken into custody by the Crime Investigation Bureau of Kantale Division. The arrested suspects are residents of Sampur, Kiliveddy, and Gampola areas, aged between 23 and 41 years. The Kantale Police Station and the Divisional Crime Investigation Bureau are conducting further investigations.