Ecstasy tablets seized, software engineer arrested

The Excise Special Operations Bureau, Colombo has made the largest ecstasy bust in the department’s history with the seizure of over 1,600 ecstasy tablets. The suspect arrested in connection with the haul of ecstasy in question is a software engineer living in the Nugegoda area.

Excise authorities said the ecstasy pills were seized by them on Monday evening following a tip off.

They said they found two batches of ecstasy tablets contained in two bags. The tablets were located from a Nissan X-trail jeep. One tablet is in the shape of the Bat Man Logo and the other a mask shaped pink colour pill, Excise sources said.

The suspect allegedly used the jeep to sell the drug, which was also seized. A tablet of ecstasy is sold at between Rs.3,000 to Rs.5,000 to a user. They are usually sold to a rich crowd, who go to night clubs in Colombo, who can afford to pay that much of money for a single pill,Excise Special Operations Bureau’s Chief Inspector of Excise P.N.Hemantha told the Daily News yesterday.

“The suspect,the haul of ecstasy pills and the jeep will be produced in Courts,” he said.

He said the suspect was arrested near the Nugegoda overhead bridge at 6 p.m. The suspect was charged with dealing in ecstasy. Ecstasy is a precursor drug which has been made illegal under the UN conventions. Its use has been made illegal in Sri Lanka.

“It is hard to nab ecstasy traffickers as the drug has no smell and is small,” Hemantha said. ”We arrested the suspect, who we found to be a software engineer living in the Nugegoda area.”

“The arrest was made following a tip off we received on the activities that has been going on,” he further said.

Of the two types of ecstasy pill, there was one which is called “Skipe,” he said,” “This is type that is even new to some European ecstasy users,”he said.