A married couple was arrested in Matara on Thursday after police seized heroin and crystal methamphetamine, known locally as Ice, with an estimated street value of about Rs. 70 million during a raid on a beauty salon.
The salon is on Matara Railway Station Road, Ada Derana reported. The raid was carried out by officers of the Matara Divisional Crime Investigation Bureau acting on information received by the Matara Assistant Superintendent of Police, under the supervision of the Matara Senior Superintendent of Police.
What was seized
The 30-year-old male suspect, a resident of Welegoda in Matara, was found in possession of 2.45 kilograms of heroin and 50 grams of Ice. His 26-year-old wife was allegedly found with six grams of heroin at the time of the arrest.
Officers also took Rs. 625,000 in cash suspected to be proceeds of drug trafficking, along with two electronic weighing scales and four mobile phones. Daily Mirror carried the same figures.
Preliminary investigations indicate the couple had been involved in drug trafficking for a considerable period, police said. Ada Derana reported that investigators were told a single gram of heroin was being sold for around Rs. 25,000 — a price that would account for the bulk of the stated Rs. 70 million valuation.
Hiru News described the operation as an inspection of a salon near the Matara Railway Station and said the arrests were made in the afternoon, with Matara Police continuing inquiries.
The suspects are due before the Matara Magistrate’s Court on Friday, August 28. None of the three reports named the couple or specified the charges they will face.
