Long route buses inspected for suspected drug-trafficking passengers

• Sniffer dogs used to check bags and parcels of passengers

By Pushpakumara Mallawarachchi and Sajeewa Kottage   

 All the buses operating on long-distance routes starting  from Colombo were subject to strict checks at Nittambuwa town with  the help of police sniffer dogs. It was operated in parallel to the  ongoing raids against organized criminal activities and drug  trafficking.   

 A police team under OIC Traffic Branch CI Indika Sanjeewa  had been deployed to check bags and other parcels of passengers with  the help of sniffer dogs. 

 The raid was carried out under the supervision of OIC  Nittambuwaa Police CI Chandana Kumara and ASP -Attanagalla Division  Prasad Fernando.   

 A similar raid was carried out by Nagollagama Police at Rideeella on Anuradhapura – Padeniya Road.    An unclaimed bag containing an earth-scanning machine  used by treasure hunters and several other suspicious equipment were  recovered during the search operation.   

 However, the police on suspicion arrested a 43-year-old passenger from Walasmulla.   
Under interrogation, he admitted that he was its owner and  that he purchased it from an individual in Dankotuwa area for  Rs.300,000.   

 The raid was carried out by two police teams from  Nagollagama and Maho Police under the OICs Sampath Jayamaha and Sanjeewa  Bandara under the supervision of SP M.R.S.R. Bandara and SSP G.J.Nandana.