The Muslim businessman who sponsored 22 monks surrenders - a British national is also involved

Extensive investigations are currently underway regarding the incident where nearly 110 kg of drugs, identified as Kush and Hashish, were discovered in the possession of twenty Buddhist monks who arrived on the island via an Air Asia flight around 10:10 PM on the 25th of last month. In connection with this trafficking, a monk named Amithananda, who resided at the Ranmuthugala Temple in Kadawatha, has also been arrested.

On a previous occasion, a person named Chandra Kumara, residing in the Athurugiriya area, has also been arrested on the charge of receiving a consignment of drugs brought by a group of twelve people.

A Muslim businessman, suspected of providing financial sponsorship for this organized drug trafficking and the related foreign trip, has been arrested by the Police Narcotics Bureau. While the Narcotics Bureau had launched operations to arrest him, he surrendered through a lawyer. It is suspected that he surrendered not with the intention of cooperating with the investigations, but due to the intensifying scrutiny. According to information currently received by the police, he was the one who arranged this trip and bore the necessary expenses, and investigators have also found fifty lakhs of rupees in his bank account. However, the businessman has not yet been able to provide evidence regarding how he earned that money.

Security forces have received information that a British national named 'Niki' is also behind this drug network. This foreigner, who was previously arrested with five kilograms of Kush, has been revealed to be currently staying in Sri Lanka. Accordingly, the Police Narcotics Bureau is further investigating whether there is any connection between the said British national and the arrested Muslim businessman.

All twenty monks who were detained and questioned regarding this incident were produced before the Negombo Magistrate's Court today and subsequently remanded. Additionally, the arrested monk named Amithananda is scheduled to be produced before the court tomorrow and remanded. The arrested Chandra Kumara and the Muslim businessman are expected to be held under a 90-day detention order for further questioning. Security forces are currently conducting investigations with keen attention to how money flowed into this trafficking operation.