Navy seizes 882kg of smuggled Kendu leaves in Kalpitiya

The Sri Lanka Navy seized a large consignment of over 882kg of Kendu leaves and a cab during separate search operations conducted in the Anawasala and Mohoththuwaram areas of Kalpitiya on 25 Feb 26.

Accordingly, naval personnel from SLNS Vijaya of the Northwestern Naval Command searched a suspicious cab in Anawasala and discovered approximately 306kg of smuggled Kendu leaves, made ready to transfer. In a follow-up operation in Mohoththuwaram, naval teams recovered an additional stock of Kendu leaves hidden in a nearby scrubland. This cache contained roughly 576kg of Kendu leaves.

It is believed that the suspects abandoned the stocks due to heightened naval surveillance in the areas. The seized items and the vehicle were handed over to the Puttalam Excise Special Unit for further legal proceedings.