The police have taken into custody a super-refrigerated lorry which was transporting 774 kg of beedi leaves on Velakanni road in Norochchole this morning which had been brought from India to Sri Lanka via sea routes under the guise of transporting fish.
When the police raided the lorry, the driver and assistant ran away.
The Norochcholai police received information about this batch of beedi leaves being loaded into the lorry at Mampuriya beach in Norochcholai. Accordingly, the police said that while a police team was travelling in the police jeep, the lorry took a side road in the Velakanni area and abandoned the lorry and the driver and assistant ran away.
Police said that during the inspection of the lorry, 774 kg of beedi leaves, which are used for beedi production, were found in 23 cardboard boxes and wrapped in 09 black bags.
The police say that investigations are underway to arrest the fleeing suspects and the lorry has been taken into police custody.
