The strange racket caught in Pannala: discarding liquor caps under the pretext of 'going on a trip with wife and daughter'

A series of exciting arrest scenes that took place in the heart of Pannala town recently went viral on social media, attracting the attention of many. The video footage showed a luxury car being shot at, which was driven in a manner that could endanger other vehicles and even pedestrians on the road, and the people inside being taken into police custody.

The Giruulla Police's success in unraveling a unique drug trafficking operation that used technology without leaving any traces formed the basis for this arrest. Their strategy was to distribute drugs very subtly by traveling as if on a family trip with a daughter and mother. For this, drugs were packed into plastic pipe pieces or inside liquor bottle caps. From the car itself, these were taken to designated locations and the caps were dropped. After sending photos and GPS locations (Location) of where the caps had fallen to the buyer, they would pick them up discreetly, and this method limited the possibility of anyone obtaining evidence related to drug distribution.

Chief Police Inspector Anurapaksha, who recently assumed duties as the OIC of the Giruulla Police Station, was engaged in collecting special intelligence through private informants to curb illegal activities, including drug trafficking, in the area. Meanwhile, based on information received about a major drug trafficker, operations were carried out for several days, but the suspect could not be apprehended. However, an urgent call received from the informant around 7:35 AM on the 22nd stated that the trafficker was traveling with two women and a stock of drugs in a luxury Toyota Prius car from Kurunegala's Five Road, past Giruulla, towards Pannala. The police also received a lot of information, including the vehicle's number and color.

Acting on the information received, the Giruulla OIC and a team of officers sped towards Pannala in a police jeep in search of the said car. After chasing for nearly 11 kilometers for about half an hour, the police team spotted the suspicious car caught in heavy traffic near Pannala town. The Giruulla OIC immediately informed the Pannala OIC and then overtook the car near the Pannala clock tower, blocking its path with the jeep. However, the suspicious vehicle attempted to squeeze through small gaps. Subsequently, two trucks on the road were used to block its path, but in the face of a dangerous escape attempt, a police officer, on the orders of the OIC, fired a T-56 firearm at the right rear wheel of the car, bringing it to a halt. The windows were then broken, the doors unlocked, and the person in the driver's seat and the two women in the back seat were arrested.

During this raid, which occurred around 8:05 AM, 15 grams and 260 milligrams of heroin and a sum of nine hundred twenty-four thousand six hundred seventy rupees were found inside the car. The main suspect arrested is 36-year-old Prasanna Kumara, a resident of Girana, Narangoda area, who has ongoing court cases related to several crimes. The 39-year-old woman with him, Sumali Shanika, is his mistress, and she also has a court case. The other arrested individual, a 16-year-old girl, is her daughter.

During police interrogations, the sophisticated distribution method employed by these traffickers was revealed. Their usual practice was to pack drugs into plastic pipe pieces or liquor bottle caps and throw them to designated locations from a moving car. Afterwards, using the suspect's smartphone, a photo of the location where the drug-containing tubes or caps had fallen, along with the GPS location (Location), was sent to the respective buyer. This drug trafficking operation had been carried out for a long time from the Nelumdeniya area using the same vehicle, without being caught by the police.

Upon inspecting the upper floor of the two-story house in Nelumdeniya area where the arrested suspects were temporarily residing, another 62 grams of heroin, sixteen hundred eighty thousand rupees earned from trafficking, 2,235 plastic tubes used for packing drugs, 586 liquor bottle caps, drug measuring and packing equipment, and a white pipe about 35 feet long were found. The suspect stated that he received these drugs from the Colombo area.

After being produced before the Kuliyapitiya Magistrate's Court, the arrested suspects were granted permission to be detained and questioned until the 28th, while the 16-year-old girl was ordered to be held at the Kuliyapitiya Meegahakotuwa Children's Home. Under the instructions of Deputy Inspector General of Police Priyantha Chandrasiri, in charge of Kurunegala District, and Senior Superintendent of Police Pragathi Lakmini, in charge of Kuliyapitiya Division, and under the supervision of Assistant Superintendent of Police Lakmal Wijesinghe, the OIC of Giruulla Police Station, Chief Police Inspector Anurapaksha, along with Sub-Inspector Upananda, Police Sergeants Janaka (33610), Vipulasiri (33011), Chathuranga (68811), and Deshapriya (75497) are conducting further investigations.

Watch the video related to this incident ›