Cocaine carrying sugar importer blacklisted , Minister

Ranjitha Pulses Splitting and Processing Industry Pvt .Limited, the company to which the sugar container in which a haul of cocaine was detected, has been blacklisted, Industry and Commerce Minister Rishad Bathiudeen told Parliament today.

The Minister said this in response to a question raised by Chief Opposition Whip and JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

The Minister said that this Company is among  130 suppliers have been registered to supply goods to Lanka Sathosa but it would be barred from supplying any goods to Lanka Sathosa till the investigation in the cocaine detection is complete.

 “The company had been registered to supply 500 MT of sugar. The cocaine haul was detected in a sugar container sent to Ratmalana Economic Centre on July 19. The Sathosa workers who recovered it informed the Police. Sathosa has no whatsoever link to this cocaine haul. Since I assumed this ministerial portfolio, I have never imported any goods to Sathosa,” he added.