Navy seizes over 900kg of smuggled Kendu leaves in Puttalam

The Sri Lanka Navy seized a stock of smuggled beedi leaves weighing more than 900kg during a search operation in the Puttalam lagoon on 22 September 2026.

Naval personnel attached to the Rapid Action Boat Squadron Headquarters at Gagewadiya in Puttalam, under the Northwestern Naval Command, carried out the search following credible information.

During the operation, naval personnel recovered 24 suspicious sacks hidden in a scrubland near the lagoon. The packages contained approximately 908kg of Kendu leaves, which are believed to have been smuggled into the country and abandoned by traffickers due to heightened naval surveillance.

The seized consignment of Kendu leaves was handed over to the Puttalam Excise Station for further legal proceedings.