The Illegal Assets Investigation Division has imposed restraining orders on property and vehicles worth more than Rs. 125 million, allegedly acquired through drug trafficking, in two separate investigations, the Daily Mirror reported.
Both actions were taken under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, and both orders run for 14 days.
The Wattala case: Rs. 90 million
In the first operation, police froze assets valued at more than Rs. 90 million belonging to a suspect from the Wattala area. The 14-day restraining order took effect on September 17, barring the sale, transfer or disposal of the holdings.
The assets comprise several houses and plots of land in Hunupitiya and surrounding areas, together with a Suzuki Spacia valued at about Rs. 8 million — meaning roughly Rs. 82 million of the total is real property.
The Thanamalwila case: Rs. 35 million
In the second investigation, police froze a luxury Toyota SUV worth more than Rs. 35 million belonging to a suspect from Thanamalwila. That order took effect a day earlier, on September 16.
The Daily Mirror says this investigation was opened following a complaint by the Director of the Police Narcotics Bureau. Here the entire frozen value is a single vehicle.
Together the two cases account for the Rs. 125 million-plus headline figure. Police said investigations into both suspects and the assets are continuing.
Context
Asset freezes have become a routine instrument in narcotics enforcement this year rather than an exceptional one. In August police reported freezing assets worth about Rs. 6 billion linked to organised crime, and the Illegal Assets Investigation Division was separately reported to be pursuing 25 alleged criminals. Earlier cases have followed a similar pattern of property plus high-value vehicles, including the seizure of luxury buses said to have been bought with drug money in May.
A caution on identification. Separate reporting has described earlier freezing orders involving suspects from both Thanamalwila and Hunupitiya in Wattala at different figures, including a much larger Thanamalwila order. This report does not name either suspect or give their ages, so it cannot be established whether today’s orders concern the same individuals at a later stage of proceedings or different people entirely. The localities alone are not sufficient to link them.
Not reported
Neither suspect is named or described by age or occupation. The Daily Mirror does not say which court issued either order, whether the suspects are in custody or have been charged, or whether the 14-day orders are expected to be extended — the usual course in these cases. It does not say how the assets were traced, whether the Wattala suspect is alleged to have acted for a trafficker based overseas, or what the Narcotics Bureau complaint alleged.
No other verified newsroom had filed on these two orders at the time of writing.
