Fugitive drug kingpin caught in Kandy hotel

Police Narcotic Bureau (PNB) yesterday arrested two drug lords––a Canadian of Sri Lankan origin and a Pakistani who, on March 5, attempted to smuggle into the country 36 kilos of heroin with a street value of Rs. 360 million in two unaccompanied boxes declared as hardware items.

Police media spokesman SSP Ajith Rohana told The Island the suspects were being detained by the PNB under detention orders and the 53-year-old Pakistani, Mohammad Waali, had been arrested while hiding in a luxury hotel in Kandy.

Main suspect Mohammad Ali Sabri alleged to be one of the biggest drug lords in the country had been arrested in Colombo, he said.

The SSP said, “Ali Sabri is a Canadian citizen though he was born in Sri Lanka and he is also running an NGO in the country.”

The drug lord is the main dealer in Colombo and the southern dealer ‘Chamil’ was arrested by the CID a few weeks ago, while returning to the country at the BIA.

The SSP said the PNB was looking for a few more drug lords in the country and they would be brought to book soon.

Asked whether suspects in custody had any links to the huge drug consignment of 261 kilos of heroin detected by the Customs last year and handed over to the PNB for investigations, the Police Spokesman said they were being interrogated.

On March 6, four Lankans were arrested by the Customs Revenue Task Force in connection with the drug haul found inside huge bolts when they came to clear the consignment on behalf of the importer,  but it was found that they were not the culprits.

According to Customs Media Spokesman Leslie Gamini, the detection on that day had been made on information provided by the National Crime Agency in the UK though the drugs came here from Karachi addressed to the Pakistani was caught in Kandy yesterday. (The Island)