Cannabis valued at over Rs.150m seized in Thanamalwila raid

Nearly 300,000 bush cannabis plants destroyed:

Nimal Rajapaksa

Uva Province Excise officers raided two cannabis plantations in extent of 28 acres in Balaharuwa and Nawara in Thanamalwila and arrested six suspects along with a haul of Cannabis valued at nearly Rs. 150 million.

They also destroyed nearly 300,000 bush cannabis plants growing in the plots during the raid conducted on the direction of Excise Commissioner General Vasantha Hapuarachchi following information given by the public, said Moneragala Excise Superintendent Kapila Kumarasinghe.

Kumarasinghe said other cultivators who were in the chenas had fled the area as some of the suspects had warned them about the raid by lighting fire crackers.

The cannabis cultivators had diverted a stream feeding the Kiwula wewa to irrigate the cannabis plantations thereby threatening the cultivations of genuine farmers depending on the Kiwula wewa for irrigation facilities.

The six suspects were produced before Wellawaya Magistrate Indika Ruwan Silva who imposed a fine of Rs. 36,000 on four of them and released the other two on Rs. 50,000 cash bail.

A businessman had paid the fine instantly on behalf of the four suspects.