Sri Lanka Police have arrested another suspect on suspicion of involvement in the drug trafficking operation allegedly run through individuals dressed in monastic robes, NewsFirst reported on Tuesday.
The arrest was made following a raid on a house in the Athurugiriya area. Police said the operation was conducted on intelligence that the suspect had previously sent Buddhist monks abroad and was involved in narcotics trafficking. Investigators have requested forensic analysis of his mobile phone data and said the inquiry is widening.
The new arrest extends a probe that has now reached deep into the network behind the Bandaranaike International Airport bust on Saturday night, in which 22 monks were detained on arrival from Bangkok with more than 110 kilograms of Kush cannabis and hashish concealed in suitcases. The consignment was valued at over Rs. 1 billion.
The court has separately granted a seven-day detention order against Venerable Agunukolaye Amitananda Thero, the alleged main suspect behind the operation, who was arrested on Sunday after going into hiding in Miriswatta.
A businessman named as the suspected kingpin of the smuggling ring, who had attempted to leave the country shortly after the airport bust, was also taken into custody earlier this week. Police records reviewed by Interpol have shown several of the 22 monks made repeated prior trips to Bangkok under similar travel patterns.
The Mahanayaka Theros of all three main Nikayas have issued a joint statement condemning the misuse of the saffron robe and calling for the broadest possible accountability for those exploiting it.
