200 kg of narcotics worth Rs 2 bn seized in SLN backed Excise raid

…smuggling operation planned in Dubai

By Shamindra Ferdinando

The Excise Department, which made the biggest ever detection of 100 kg each of heroin and now increasingly popular among the local jet set ICE (Crystal Methamphetamine), says the smuggling operation had been conducted by persons based in Dubai.

A senior official told The Island they were in the process of verifying information pertaining to the detection made possible by an investigation conducted over a period of time.

The Excise Department estimated the street value of heroin and ICE at over Rs 2 bn. The detection was the biggest since the shocking revelation early this year about the Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) sleuths dealing in heroin.

The Excise Department made the recovery in an operation conducted at Thoduwawa, Marawila with the assistance of the Navy yesterday. They took four persons into custody along with four vehicles-two cars, one lorry and one van.

Commissioner General of Excise Ariyadasa Bodaragama participated in the most successful operation ever conducted by the department.

The senior official told The Island that the suspects were residents of Ganemulla, Dematagoda and Mirigama. Responding to The Island queries, the official said that the newly formed Intelligence Unit of the Department would conduct further investigations though assistance could be obtained from the police depending on the requirement