185 arrested for selling booze on two ‘dry days’

By Kurulu Koojana Kariyakarawana   

Excise Department officials have arrested 185 people for selling booze on the two ‘dry days’ announced by the government on the date of the general election and the day after.   

The arrests were made during raids carried out countrywide, while illicit liquor worth more than Rs.1.5 million was taken into custody.   
The department conducted the raids on August 5 and 6 on which days the sale of alcoholic beverages was prohibited .   Departmental Spokesman, Deputy Excise Commissioner Kapila Kumarasinghe told Daily Mirror that they had detected 191 such cases countywide.   

Among the 185 cases of Exercise Ordinance violations 94 were for possessing of illicit spirits, nine cases of distilling Kasippu, 10 cases of selling toddy sans a permit and 39 cases of selling government authorised liquor without a permit and disobeying the ‘dry period’ ban.