The court has ordered a 14-day freeze on assets valued at Rs. 180 million, suspected to have been illegally acquired by Jayasinghe Arachchige Hemantha—known as "Batala Heen Mahaththaya"—who is considered a large-scale cannabis trafficker. This order was issued following a request made by the Police Illegal Assets Investigation Division.
The investigation was initiated based on a complaint received by Police Headquarters alleging that the suspect had amassed assets illegally. Under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, an order has been issued to freeze—for a period of two weeks—eight properties, including lands, buildings, shop units, and houses, purchased in the names of the suspect and his wife in the Thambuththegama, Kirawalwatta, and Mideniya areas. Legal proceedings regarding drug-related offenses have already been initiated against the suspect's second son; furthermore, the court has ordered a 14-day freeze—effective today—on a luxury jeep valued at Rs. 35 million (350 lakhs) in his possession, pursuant to the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act No. 5 of 2006.