Excise seizes Rs.20Mn worth imported booze kept for Avurudu

Colombo, April 9 (Daily Mirror) - A large stock of imported foreign liquor worth over Rs.20 million, kept ready for distribution during the Avurudu season, was seized by the Department of Excise from a location in Wellawatta this week.

Officials of the Excise Special Intelligence Unit, acting on information, raided the residence of a businessman in Wellawatta and found the stock of liquor concealed in a storeroom.

Authorities found about 400 one-litre bottles of liquor from over 50 foreign brands, including Royal Salute and Johnnie Walker.

A senior Excise official told the Daily Mirror that the suspect trader had sold some Royal Salute and Johnnie Walker Blue Label bottles for up to Rs.150,000 and Rs.200,000 to selected clientele.

The suspect had reportedly received the foreign liquor, which had been smuggled through Customs at the Colombo Port and the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) duty-free shops.

Superintendent of Excise P. N. Hemantha and OIC A. T. Weeraman of the Special Intelligence Unit carried out the detection on the instructions of Excise Commissioner General M. B. N. A. Premaratne and Deputy Excise Commissioners Jayantha de Silva and Thissa Kumara Rajapaksha.

The seized goods and the suspect were produced in court, and the latter was released on bail.

The Excise Department of Sri Lanka requests the public to provide any information pertaining to the unlawful sale and possession of liquor during the season via its hotline 1913.