A 26-year-old man has been arrested in Wellampitiya with 130 foreign-manufactured electronic cigarettes allegedly held for illegal sale, the Sri Lanka Navy said.
The joint search operation was carried out by naval personnel from SLNS Rangala, under the Western Naval Command, together with officers of the Divisional Criminal Investigation Unit of Mirihana. The suspect, a resident of Wellampitiya, was arrested while in possession of the devices.
A car was also taken into custody during the operation. The suspect, the seized electronic cigarettes and the vehicle were handed over to the Wellampitiya Police for further legal action.
Sri Lankan law already prohibits the sale, import and manufacture of e-cigarettes and vaping devices, which means imported stock circulates through informal channels. The government has separately moved to broaden that regime: proposed amendments would eliminate the use of all types of e-cigarettes and vaping devices on top of the existing prohibitions, a plan that drew objections from tourism operators earlier this year.
Ada Derana’s report did not state the estimated value of the seized devices, their country of manufacture, or how the consignment is believed to have entered the country. Police have not said whether the suspect is linked to a wider distribution network.
Naval units have increasingly been deployed alongside police in inland search operations in the Colombo suburbs, a pattern seen in recent months in seizures involving narcotics and other contraband in the Wellampitiya and Kolonnawa areas.
