A LARGE STOCK OF ILLICIT LIQUOR SEIZED

Astock of 450 bottles of spirit and 6,952 litres of goda in 39 barrels had been seized and a suspect taken into custody during a raid on an illegal brewery in a two storeyed palatial building near the Delkara Bridge on the Kapugoda-pepoldeniya Road, the Dompe Police said yesterday.

However, several suspects involved in the racket had fled the scene and evaded arrest.

Racketeers had rented the house for a year on a monthly rent of Rs. 30,000 to run the contraband trade, the Police said.

According to Police the investigations had revealed the suspects had distributed the illicit liqour in several areas including Colombo, Welikada, Galle, Panadura and Matara and those they had transported about 500 bottles a day to each area using luxury vehicles.

“Distilling equipment including five gas cylinders, three gas cookers, ten plastic cans, a length of rubber hose, 46 iron barrels and 200 kilos of sugar, were among other articles seized during the raid,” a Police officer said.

“A Senior Police Officer said the value of liqour and equipment seized could be approximately Rs.3 mn.

OIC Dompe Police IP S.G.M. Ranatunga, SI Gamini Kumarasinghe, Sergeant 2810 Kumara, 10712 Karunaratne, PCS 36589 Tilakaratne, 39163 Asela, 17518 Abeysinge, Security Asst.866 Prasanna carried out the raid on the direction of SSP Gampaha Muditha Pussella and DIG Kapila Jayasekara.