News
15 million Rupees worth of ambergris seized with two suspects
View(s):By Hiran Priyankara Jayasinghe
Two suspects were arrested with nearly two kilograms of whale ambergris worth nearly Rs. 15 million during a joint operation conducted by the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) and the police on Friday (27). The operation was launched following intelligence received by the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF).
The suspects are residents of Thalgaskanda, Puttalam and Bopitiya, Giriulla. The suspects were taken into custody while they were preparing to sell the ambergris to undercover operatives from SLAF intelligence.
Wildlife officials with the seized whale ambergris
While the undercover operatives were initially planning to purchase 12 kilograms of ambergris allegedly in the possession of the suspects at Rs. 9 million a kilo, they were only able to recover 1.575 kilograms from the suspects’ possession.
Whales are protected under the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance and it is illegal to possess whale body parts and substances in one’s possession, DWC officials said.
The ambergris weighed nearly two kilos
The raid was conducted jointly by officers from the Karuwalagaswewa and Nikaweratiya DWC offices and the Giriulla Police, with
the assistance of SLAF intelligence officers.
Though the suspects were questioned about the remaining stock of ambergris, no specific information was unearthed regarding the matter. The arrested suspects and the seized ambergris have been handed over to the Karuwalagaswewa DWC office for further investigations.
The best way to say that you found the home of your dreams is by finding it on Hitad.lk. We have listings for apartments for sale or rent in Sri Lanka, no matter what locale you're looking for! Whether you live in Colombo, Galle, Kandy, Matara, Jaffna and more - we've got them all!