The Panadura Magistrate’s Court has issued orders under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act to freeze several properties allegedly purchased with the proceeds of drug trafficking, following an investigation by the Criminal Investigation Department’s Illegal Assets Investigation Division.
The properties belong to suspects from Madupitiya and Mahawila in Panadura. They include a house under construction with adjoining land in Panadura Mahawila, a 10.75-perch plot at Panadura Cross Junction, and a second house under construction in Madupitiya, Panadura. Police said evidence indicated the suspects had committed offences under the Money Laundering Act by attempting to launder illicit earnings through property purchases.
Two female suspects, aged 28 and 53, were arrested on March 13 and April 2 respectively and produced before the Panadura Magistrate, who remanded them. Two additional female suspects, relatives already in custody for a separate drug case, were also produced and remanded until May 13.
The CID said further investigations are ongoing, with the targeted properties now legally frozen to prevent any transfer or disposal while proceedings continue.
The order is the latest in a sequence of asset-restraint actions targeting Panadura’s narcotics economy. The Illegal Assets Investigation Division imposed restrictions on Rs. 40 million in assets a day earlier tied to the “Panadura Kudu Salindu” network and a Dubai-based associate, also covering properties in Madupitiya and Alubomulla West. Both actions are part of the broader Rata Ekata anti-narcotics drive launched in late 2025, which has paired interdiction with financial-crime enforcement.
