Court Orders Continued Remand of 23 Clergy in Thailand Drug Haul Probe

COLOMBO (News 1st); Twenty‑three monks arrested in connection with the smuggling of kush and hash from Thailand into Sri Lanka have been further remanded until May 26, following the hearing of the case today before Negombo Additional Magistrate Subhani Abeysekara.

The suspects were remanded when the case was taken up in court today.

Twenty‑two monks were initially arrested on the 25th at the Katunayake International Airport upon their return from a trip to Thailand, after authorities discovered 112 kilograms of the drugs “kush” and “hash” concealed inside their luggage.

Subsequent questioning revealed that the illegal operation had allegedly been orchestrated by a monk named Amithananda. The suspect monk was arrested later that afternoon while in hiding at a temple in the Meegahawatta area of Gampaha.

Meanwhile, a suspect named Mahamud Mohamed, who is accused of aiding and abetting the operation, was arrested in Colombo on the 8th. He is currently being detained for questioning until May 14.

When the case was called today, officers from the Police Narcotics Bureau were not present in court.

Proceedings were postponed on four occasions until the arrival of the relevant officers. As the officers failed to appear before court until 11.30 a.m., the Magistrate ordered the hearing to commence.

The Magistrate further ordered that reasons for the absence of Narcotics Bureau officers be presented on May 26. However, at the time the order was issued, a woman Sub Inspector later appeared before the court.

She was severely reprimanded by the Magistrate over the delay in appearing before court. Addressing the court, the officer stated that mobile phones belonging to all the monks had been handed over to the Criminal Investigation Department for further investigations.

She also informed court that investigations were underway to arrest a suspect named Mohamed Musim Abdulla and sought permission to name him as the seventh suspect in the case. She further requested that Venerable Ranale Gnanssila Thera be named as the eighth suspect.

During today’s proceedings, the court also ordered the imposition of overseas travel bans on two monks identified as Ambagasmulle Punnarathana and Belpitiye Dhammarakkhitha.