Five arrested in Alawatugoda Police drug trafficking raid

By Shane Seneviratne
An Excise Officer, the Asst. Manager of a private sector bank and three others had been arrested yesterday by Alawatugoda Police on suspicion of drug trafficking.

A drug addict arrested by the police provided information leading to the arrest of the racketeers. Police said they carried out the raid with the help of a decoy who purchased heroin from the suspects.

Investigations revealed that the suspect excise officer was on the staff of the Excise Headquarters. Police had seized a stock of heroin, ICE, digital weighing equipment and cash Rs.10,000. Under interrogation, he provided information on the bank official and others involved in the racket.

Police said the bank official and the excise officer would be detained for further questioning.

A police team under Alawatugoda Police CI Sujeewa Gunatillake had carried out the raid on the instructions of SSP Anuruddha Bandaranayaka and Senior DIG Lalith Pathinayake.