EXCISE SEIZES RS.7.5 MN WORTH OF IMPORTED LIQUOR, FAGS

Excise Department Bureau of Special Operations (BSO) raided the storeroom of a popular casino belonging to a business magnate in the country, located on Walukarama Road which connects R.A. De Mel Mawatha and the Galle Road and seized the items.

Sources from the department told Daily Mirror that the casino management was serving liquor and cigarettes imported duty free without a valid permit or a license, which is against the Excise law of Sri Lanka.

The liquor and cigarettes, which were suspected to have been smuggled into the country on vessels coming into the country and then taken out of the duty free, do not bear the mandatory State warning concerning consumption of alcohol and tobacco.

Inquiries revealed that certain foreign liquor bottles valued at over Rs.10, 000 to Rs.15, 000 had been purchased by the casino management for a mere Rs.6, 500 per bottle which were the duty free rates.

A senior Excise official told the Daily Mirror although these places were raided the problem would persist as there is no specific Excise licensing system meant for casinos in Sri Lanka.

Over 15 types of Excise licenses exists at present for liquor stores, bars, taverns, restaurants, hotels, cinemas that are meant for the sale of liquor. Since liquor and cigarettes are freely distributed inside casinos as a promotional item to entice its customers to gamble, it could be construed as an offence under the NATA Act.

OIC Excise BSO Chief Inspector G N Hemantha and the team is conducting inquiries on the instructions of Deputy Excise Commissioner M B Wansooriya and Superintendent Excise BSO Channa Weerakkody. The store manager of the casino who was arrested was later released on bail with the seized contraband to be produced in court as evidence.