Police stumble on ganja chena

Sandasen Marasinghe

Tissamaharama Police arrested a man on Sunday who allegedly cultivated three acres of cannabis in Suriya Ara, Suriyawewa.

The Police uprooted 28,000 cannabis plants valued at Rs 3.5 million and destroyed them.

Most plants were over three feet while the other were above five feet.

Police added that the cultivator had sold the harvest of nearly one acre of the illegal cultivation.

The Police also seized the three-wheeler which the suspect was travelling at the time of the arrest on Sunday morning along with 10 packets of high quality cannabis. Police added that the packets were sold at Rs 50 each.

Police Spokesman SP Prishantha Jayakody said that the suspect, a resident of Suriya Ara was produced before Tissamaharama Magistrate Sanjeewa Ramyakumara and detained.

Tissamaharama Police said that the suspect was delivering samples at the time of the arrest. The cannabis packets were hidden in the cubbyhole of the three-wheeler. When questioned by the Police the suspect revealed information about the cannabis chena. Police added that the chena was cultivated in the thick jungle about three and a half kilometres off the village.

Tissamaharama Police OIC IP Mahinda Caldera said that the suspect had delivered cannabis to several people for a considerable period. Tissamaharama Police conducted the raid on the instructions of ASP Upali Senanayake, SP Chandara Kumara, DIG Neil Daluwatta and Senior DIG Kingsley Ekanayake.