Largest moonshine transport racket busted in Ginoya

Rasika Somarathna

WENNAPPUWA: Excise sleuths busted the largest illicit liquor transport racket to Colombo when they raided a massive manufacturing plant in the Ginoya area.

They arrested four people including the mastermind who is a wealthy businessman in the area owning a fleet of private buses.

The large scale brewing centre adjoining the Colombo-Chilaw main road was equipped with the latest technology along with electricity and pipe-borne water.

Officers took into custody 30,000 litres of moonshine, 2,250 litres of wine spirit, 3,000 Kg of sugar, 200 barrels, a boat and 20 copper coils.

An Excise Department spokesman told the Daily News that the officers had seized a Canter lorry with a massive load of moonshine at the main suspect's house.

According to Excise sources the suspect had used innovative methods in his brewing facility as he had used cashew husks to fuel the furnaces for brewing. This had been the first time the excise officers had come across such a novel method.

The Marawila Magistrate imposed a fine of Rs.700,000 on the suspects.

Sources said the Commissioner General of Excise is looking into the possibility of enforcing further penalties considering the massive scale of the operation. The raid was possible on public tip off to Commissioner Parakrama Bandara Ekanayake.

He visited the site in the company of Commissioner for Crimes D. G. M. V. Hapuarachchi.

The raid was conducted by Assistant Commissioner of Excise-Wayamba Province R. M. Rathnayake and Inspectors E. M. P. B. Wickremanayake and L. G. Ranaweera along with 40 Officers from the Wayamba region.