Heroin-smuggling school teacher, husband netted in Anuradhapura

• Police found heroin valued Rs. 10 million   
• Motorbike used in peddling seized 

By B.G. Chaturanga   

A lady teacher of a leading school in Anuradhapura town  and her husband, an employee of a holiday resort, were arrested by  Anuradhapura Police on suspicion of their involvement in drug peddling.   

The teacher, 26, was from Wariyapola and her husband, 28, from Kegalle.   

 They had in their possession a stock of 120 grams of  heroin at the time of arrest. Police said the couple was residing at a  rented house in Anuradhapura to carry on the racket. Under interrogation,  the suspects revealed that the stock of heroin was valued at about Rs.10  million.   

 Investigations revealed that they had been carrying on the  racket for about one year and that they had recently offered special  discounts between Rs.1,000 to Rs.500 on a packet of heroin to mark the  anniversary of their contraband trade. Police said the suspects had  expected an increasing demand from visitors to Anuradhapura area during  the Poson festival.   
 The police had carried out the raid on a tip-off from an  informant and arrested the suspects. The police had seized a motorcycle  used by the suspects to distribute illegal drugs in different areas.   

 The suspects stated that a drug trafficker in Kurunegala  area was the procurer of drugs. Police said that the suspects had  different hiding places in Anuradhapura town and the sacred area for  packets of drugs to be collected by buyers of bulk stocks and drug  addicts on orders.   

 A senior police official said the stock of heroin seized  was the largest ever seized during the “Yukthiya” operation in  Anuradhapura area. The suspects were to be produced before Anuradhapura  Magistrate yesterday.  

 OIC Anti Vice Squad SI Sagara Ranasinghe, SI Bandara, WSI  Kusala and Sergeant 48350 Saman carried out the raid and arrested  the suspects on the instructions of HQI Anuradhapura CI R.M.Jayaweera,  SP Anuradhapura Division Thilina Hewapathirana and DIG North Central  Division Laksiri Wijesena.