Negombo Additional Magistrate Subhani Abeysekara today (26) granted permission to the Police Narcotics Bureau to detain and question twenty-two monks arrested at Katunayake Airport with a stock of narcotics worth Rs. 110 crore until May 2.

The Police Narcotics Bureau informed the court that these twenty-two monks, who arrived in the country after a trip to Bangkok, Thailand, were arrested at the airport arrival terminal around 10:30 PM yesterday (25) following a special intelligence tip-off.

Police submitted to the court that this is the first time in Sri Lankan history that monks were caught in such a large-scale drug trafficking operation, and it marks the largest stock of narcotics ever seized in the history of Katunayake Airport.

It was reported to the court that 110 kg of 'Kush' and 'Hashish' were concealed within false bottoms of the luggage brought by the twenty-two suspect monks.

Police further explained to the court that the operation was carried out extremely meticulously by packing school supplies like pens and pencils, along with sweets, on top of the drug parcels, with approximately 4 to 5 kg of narcotics found in each person's bag.

The court was informed that the twenty-two arrested monks are young monks pursuing higher education from various parts of the island, and they departed for Bangkok on the 22nd using air tickets provided by a certain sponsor.

Upon examining the mobile phones of the suspect monks, police informed the court that they found photos and videos of the suspects dressed in ordinary civilian clothes after removing their robes while abroad.

President’s Counsel Ajith Pathirana, along with Attorneys Nelson Kumaranayaka, Dulisha Wijesuriya, Tharindu Wickramanayaka, Buddhi Udara, Sachith Welgama, and Namal Wanigasooriya, appeared in court for the suspects.