Suspected ganja trafficker arrested

by Jayampathy JAYASINGHE

A suspect who was involved in trafficking ganja from Wellawaya and Thanamalvila was arrested by the Central Anti Vice Striking Force on a tip-off when they raided a house at St. Peter’s Road, Moratuwa last Wednesday, Police spokesman SP Prishantha Jayakody told the “Sunday Observer.”

He said the haul of ganja (Cannabis sativa) weighed nine kilograms and 325 grams and was worth lakhs of rupees. The suspect was a wholesale dealer who had been involved in smuggling ganja from the Uva Province for a considerable period of time. The imported ganja was packed into small sachets and sold in Colombo, Moratuwa, Piliyandala and Panadura through couriers. Around 3000 packets are made from a kilo of ganja; a packet was sold at Rs 50, police said.

According to the Police Narcotics Bureau, 13,300 cannabis abusers were arrested in 2009. Cannabis is usually transported from the Uva province in lorries which bring vegetables to Colombo. The quantity of cannabis detected by law enforcement agencies in 2009 was 84,605 kgs. Meanwhile, the 30-year-old suspect arrested in connection with the possession of cannabis was a resident of Circular Road, Uswatte, Moratuwa. He was produced in Court last week.