Over 3,000 women had been rounded up for various related offences by the Department of Excise during its countrywide detections completing the third quarter of this year, with a total seizure of illicit goods worth up to Rs.121 million, departmental sources said.

Excise Spokesman Deputy Commissioner Kapila Kumarasinghe told the Daily Mirror there were 3,020 female suspects amongst the total of

30,354 suspects were taken into custody for various instances of violations of the Excise Ordinance, during the first nine months of 2020.

Since January 01st this year up to September 30th, the Excise Department had carried out 30,391 detections in countrywide locations under the charges coming under Excise Ordinance, National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol (NATA Act No.27 of 2006) and Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs (Amendment Act No.13 of 1984).

The Spokesman said amongst the detected cases 24,434 violations were under the Excise Ordinance of manufacturing, possessing, transporting and selling of illegal spirits.

They had detected 4,424 cases violating the Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs Act of selling, transporting and possessing Heroin, Ganja, Cocaine, etc.

By violating the NATA Act 1, 533 cases had been detected for smuggling in and selling illegal cigarettes evading taxes and other tobacco-related offences.

The department had earned a sum of Rs.119 million (Rs.119,827,250) to the State through fines imposed on these cases and the suspects in respective courts of law, Deputy Commissioner Kumarasinghe said.

Over 1,200 Excise personnel in various ranks from 57 Excise Stations countrywide and five special operations bureaus had engaged in these detections on the instructions of Excise Commissioner General Ariyadasa Bodaragama. (Kurulu Koojana Kariyakarawana)