A prison officer accused of supplying drugs to the Magazine Prison in Borella has been arrested with narcotics valued at more than Rs. 2 million, police said.
Officers of the Mount Lavinia Divisional Crime Investigation Bureau recovered 100 grams of crystal methamphetamine, known as “Ice”, and 20 grams of heroin in the operation.
Traced through a WhatsApp call
The investigation began with the arrest of a 32-year-old man from Dehiwala who was detained in the Mount Lavinia area carrying a consignment of drugs.
Under questioning, he allegedly told investigators he had collected the package after being sent a location via a WhatsApp call from an inmate currently serving a sentence at the Magazine Prison. He said the parcel was to be handed over to another person at Wanatha Road, Borella.
Acting on that account, a team led by Mount Lavinia Divisional Crime Investigation Bureau Officer-in-Charge Chief Inspector Nilantha Gamage mounted a covert operation and positioned officers at the location.
Police said the prison officer arrived at the scene wearing prison sports attire and took the drug package from the first suspect, at which point officers moved in and arrested him.
The suspect
The arrested officer is 53 years old and a resident of Beliatta, Tangalle. Prison sources said he had joined the Magazine Prison in January and had previously served at Welikada Prison.
The Mount Lavinia Divisional Crime Investigation Bureau is conducting further investigations.
The arrest is the second contraband case at the Borella facility this month. On August 8, two men from Colombo 14 were detained trying to throw parcels of drugs and mobile phones over the prison’s perimeter wall on Baseline Road.
Update, August 12: seven-day detention order
The Mount Lavinia Magistrate’s Court has issued detention orders allowing police to question the prison officer further, after he was produced before the court on Wednesday.
Hiru News reported that the Mount Lavinia Divisional Crime Investigation Bureau obtained seven-day detention orders covering two suspects — the prison officer and one other member of the alleged supply ring.
Police Spokesperson Assistant Superintendent of Police F.U. Wootler said investigations had found the officer was allegedly supplying drugs to a narcotics trafficker serving a sentence at the prison. He said the first suspect arrested had told investigators the narcotics were being passed to the prison officer, and that police confirmed the account before mounting the operation in which the officer was detained as he arrived to collect the consignment.
