Consignment of refuse tea prepared for export intercepted
The Police Special Task Force has detected a stock of refuse tea that was prepared to be exported to Middle Eastern countries under the name of Ceylon Tea, at a warehouse on Modara Ely House Road.
The Special Task Force also found 336 liters of coloring agents used to alter the color of refuse tea as high quality tea, in that warehouse.
The STF officers found 19,072.86 kg of refuse tea in the warehouse and found that the waste tea was being sorted using machinery.
DIG Varuna Jayasundara, Commander of the Special Task Force, said that due to refuse tea being released to the international market under the name of Ceylon Tea, Sri Lanka’s tea sales will suffer a big setback internationally.
A 45-year-old resident of Modara was arrested on suspicion of being involved in this racket. It is reported that this racket has been in operation very secretly in this place for some time and the special task force raided it on the 19th.
The raid was carried out by officers of the STF Gonahena camp on the directives of SSP J.R. Senadheera on the advice of Commander of the Police Special Task Force (STF), Sri Lanka Police. DIG Waruna Jayasundara