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| Businessman
of big bucks and drugs The alleged millionaire -drug dealer, Mohammed Samoon Mohammed, was number one in the Police Narcotics' A Grade list, which consisted of most wanted drug traffickers. He was arrested on Friday, along with a drug haul valued more than Rs. 40 million, while he was engaged in a drug transaction outside his luxury home in Ward Place. His wife Marushida Siyam, and closest aide Upali Gunewardene, from Kadawata, who were also involved in the transaction were also arrested. This major breakthrough followed a two-month-long surveillance on the movements of the alleged drug baron, police said. They said they had waited for an opportune moment to arrest the man while he was involved in a transaction. On Friday morning, the couple had dropped their three children at school and the wife was packing in the contraband into the three-wheeler, in which the aide had arrived, when police had stormed in. After arresting the wife and the aide the police had then proceeded into the house and arrested the millionaire businessman. The heroin was neatly packed in half kilogram packets. Four weighing scales and other equipment used for packeting drugs were also found in the house. More than 20 kilograms of Brown Heroin, Rs. 500,000 cash, and three luxury vehicles parked at the palatial house at No 76, Ward Place, were also seized. Police Narcotics Bureau chief Pujith Jayasundera said Fridays' haul was the biggest detected since 1996. “The arrest was made after nearly two months of tight surveillance on the movements of the drug dealer. The accused, had posed off as a gem merchant who was also involved in several other businesses. He loved to show he led the life of the upper class. He has been involved in the narcotics trade for the past ten years," he said. Mr. Jayasundera said now that the war was over the biggest threat that Sri Lanka faced was the drug menace. Pointing out that more than Rs. 50 million worth of drugs were traded each day, he said the Bureau would do everything possible to crackdown on this menace. |
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