A 34-year-old large-scale drug trafficker has been arrested in Wattala by the Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB), police said.

During the arrest, officers seized over 21 kilograms of ‘Kush’ cannabis, with an estimated street value of Rs. 201 million, along with USD 4,900 in cash.

Investigations have revealed that the suspect had purchased the seized stock of ‘Kush’ cannabis in Bangkok, Thailand, and arranged for them to be brought into the country by another person before concealing them at his residence.

The PNB further uncovered that the suspect had used various individuals to smuggle drugs into Sri Lanka from foreign countries and later operated an island-wide drug trafficking network.

According to police, the luggage containing the drug stock was sent to Sri Lanka on December 13 and had managed to transport to the suspect’s residence from the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA). 

The suspect had returned to Sri Lanka yesterday (14), carrying only a hand luggage, police said.

Following continued surveillance, the PNB raided the suspect’s residence after he returned home and seized the stock of ‘Kush’ cannabis, which had been packed into 20 parcels and concealed in an unopened luggage.

Accordingly, a total of 21 kilograms and 668 grams of ‘Kush’ cannabis was taken into police custody, police confirmed. 

The arrested suspect, along with the seized stock of ‘Kush’ cannabis and cash, is scheduled to be produced before the Welisara Magistrate’s Court today (15).