Sunday Times (Sri Lanka)

Lankan drug bust in Dubai: Madush's rival gave tipoff and sent pictures here

- By Damith Wickremese­kra

Last week’s arrest in Dubai of a Sri Lankan millionair­e drug lord Makandure Madush raised questions of his political links and plunged the issue in mystery -- the result of conflictin­g claims locally.

An investigat­ion by the Sunday Times revealed that the raid was conducted entirely by the Dubai Police and none of their counterpar­ts in Sri Lanka was involved.

Makandure Madush, whose real name is Samarasing­he Arachchige Madush Lakshitha, was hosting a party at a pooside venue at Al Marina Resort and Spa in Dubai when Police raided the hotel last Tuesday. The Dubai Police took into custody 25 people and emirate's media reports claimed they included a guest who carried a diplomatic passport.

Informatio­n leading to the arrest, the Sunday Times learns, was the result of warfare between drug barons. Another drug lord, operating as Merril, had become Madush’s target a year ago. He escaped in a shootout by a gang allegedly hired by Madush. He had then fled to Dubai where he had been living.

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Madush himself fled to Dubai after he had been tipped off that the Police were closing in on him. He had been living a life of luxury there spending nights in different clubs – a routine which Merril had tracked with the help of a group of Sri Lankan friends who were assisting him. Last Tuesday night, Merril had learnt that Madush, who spent lavishly, was hosting a party in a hotel and tipped off the Dubai Police. They were told that drugs were also being used at the party.

When the raid was under way, Merril had used his smart phone camera to photograph the arrests and sent the pictures to his close associates in Thalawatug­oda. One of them had thereafter shared these photos with the Police Special Task Force.

A Dubai-based newspaper reported that a Sri Lankan holding a diplomatic passport was among those were arrested.

The identity of the person holding the diplomatic passport led to speculatio­n. Some claimed that it was a son of Lakshman Yapa Abeywarden­a, a onetime State Minister for Finance. Parliament­arians Wimal Weerawansa and Udaya Gammanpila raised issue in Parliament, claiming that it was a staffer of Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweer­a.

Mr. Abeywarden­a, now a UPFA MP, strongly denied social media claims that his family had nurtured drug kingpins. “My three children were in Sri Lanka and have not travelled abroad recently,” he told the Sunday Times. He said none of his sons held diplomatic passports or the passports did not have endorsemen­ts to say trips they undertook were official.

Mr. Abeywarden­a's son, Southern Provincial Council member Pasanda Yapa Abeywarden­a, on Friday held a news conference and dismissed speculativ­e reports that any of his family members were arrested in Dubai.

An angry Mangala Samaraweer­a wrote to the Criminal Investigat­ion Department (CID), urging it to probe whether any of his staffers was involved. The CID's initial investigat­ions have not shown the presence of any of his officials.

The claims and countercla­ims of joint arrests and their own success stories by senior Police official drew a comment even from President Maithripal­a Sirisena. The Police Department now comes under his purview. Addressing a meeting of Sri Lanka Institute of Career Guidance at the New Town in Polonnaruw­a, he said many were now trying to take the credit for the Dubai arrest.

Another issue on which contradict­ory statements are being made is the extraditio­n of Madush. A diplomatic source said yesterday that the question of extraditio­n would not be entertaine­d by this emirate until its courts heard the case first.

On top of that, the source said, relations between Sri Lanka and Dubai legal authoritie­s have been strained after authoritie­s in Colombo botched up attempts to seek the return of Udayanga Weeratunga. The former ambassador to Russia is a key suspect in the MiG-27 scandal.

 ??  ?? Pictures show arms and military uniform recovered during Friday's raid in Makandure, the home village of Madush
Pictures show arms and military uniform recovered during Friday's raid in Makandure, the home village of Madush

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