A remarkable drug raid that stirred the Matale area was reported on the occasion of the 160th National Police Day.
A man known as a music master, who had allegedly been living under a different name, was arrested by the Matale Division Anti-Corruption Unit for allegedly engaging in the retail distribution of “Ice” narcotics in Matale and nearby areas.
During an early morning raid at a rented house in the Dombadeniya area, police seized Ice narcotics, two mobile phones and six SIM cards.
The manner in which the drugs had been concealed was a notable feature of the raid. Police said the narcotics had been carefully hidden inside a small secure wooden box decorated with intricate carvings.
When police began searching the house, the suspect allegedly claimed that he possessed no drugs and attempted to threaten the officers while recording them on his mobile phone.
However, police officers searched a room covered in dust and cobwebs and managed to discover the carved wooden box containing the concealed narcotics.
Preliminary investigations have revealed that the suspect, who is said to have been sentenced by the High Court and has several drug-related cases pending before courts across the country, had allegedly used various tactics to evade the law.
He had reportedly left his child in the care of his mother, who resides in the Kaludawala area of Matale, while living with his wife in rented houses in Matale town and changing residences every few months.
The Ice narcotics had allegedly been packed in small polythene sachets. Matale Police are conducting further investigations into whether the suspect had connections with major drug traffickers in the country.
