1,200 bottles of smuggled foreign booze seized by Foreign Ministry’s Special Narcotic Raids Unit

The Special Narcotic Raids Unit set up under the Ministry of Finance has seized another consignment of foreign liquor smuggled to the island.  Acting on a tip-off, the Special Narcotic Raids Unit, in collaboration with the STF, carried out a raid near Lipton Circus and discovered the stock of smuggled liquor.

The raid was conducted on 26 August while the foreign liquor consignment was being transported in a luxury vehicle. Investigators seized 1200 bottles of liquor during the raid.

Head of the Special Narcotic Raids Unit of the Finance Ministry, Wing Commander Ravi Jayasinghe said that the surface value of one bottle of this liquor variety is about Rs.6, 000.

It is suspected that this illegal foreign liquor racket had been carried out for a long period of time, and the seized consignment was meant to be delivered to several restaurants in the Colombo suburbs.

A suspect was also arrested in connection with the liquor smuggling racket and, he is scheduled to be produced before Court.  This is the third of similar raids conducted by the Special Narcotic Raids Unit of the Finance Ministry during the month of August.  Further investigations will be conducted by the Excise Department.