Councillor Disna Neranjala is a relative of notorious drug trafficker “Kosgoda Sujee”
(Lanka-e-News -06.Nov.2025, 11.00 PM)
A school principal, married to a Malima Municipal Councillor, has been detained until November 12 after being caught with a stock of heroin weighing over one kilogram in a hotel he owns in Eppawala, Anuradhapura.
The suspects were produced before Thambuttegama Magistrate Gayathri Hettiarachchi, who ordered that both the principal and his hotel employee be detained for further questioning by the Anuradhapura Division Criminal Investigation Unit.
The arrested principal, Jayanta Balasuriya (59), serves as the head of Katiyawa Yaya 10 Primary School in Eppawala. He is the husband of Disna Neranjala, a National People’s Power (NPP) councillor attached to the Peliyagoda Municipal Council.
The second suspect is Tarinda Dhananjaya Wickramasinghe (alias Sandun, aged 29), a resident of Nallamudawa East, Eppawala, who works as a chef at the couple’s hotel, “La Miraj Hotel.”
According to police sources, Councillor Disna Neranjala has familial connections to the infamous drug trafficker and underworld figure “Kosgoda Sujee.” Investigations also revealed that her husband, the arrested principal, maintained close associations with the same network.
Police have now launched an inquiry into the assets and property belonging to the couple, suspecting that some of their holdings may have been acquired through the illegal drug trade.
Balasuriya was arrested on November 5 at his hotel premises in Eppawala, Andagala, after police recovered 1 kilogram and 185 grams of heroin with an estimated street value of over Rs. 20 million.
This arrest follows an earlier detention of their second son, Hiran Miyuranga Balasuriya, by the Ipalogama Police on October 30, for allegedly possessing 20 grams of heroin for sale. Police confirmed that the son had been previously arrested on similar drug trafficking charges.
After being produced before the Kekirawa Magistrate’s Court on October 31, he too was remanded and questioned by the Anuradhapura Division Crime Unit.
During the course of that inquiry, police discovered that while the son was in custody, the family’s hotel chef, Sandun, had visited him, claiming that there was a parcel of heroin hidden at his home. The son reportedly instructed the chef to relocate the stash to a safer place near Nabadawewa, close to both the family home and the hotel.
Later, he allegedly asked his father to retrieve the parcel and hide it securely behind the hotel, warning him that the package — believed to contain more than a kilogram of heroin worth over Rs. 20 million — might otherwise be stolen by the accomplice.
Acting on a tip-off, the Anuradhapura Crime Investigation Division arrested the hotel chef on November 5. During interrogation, he confessed to concealing the narcotics and led police to the hiding place. Officers recovered approximately 300 grams of heroin from his possession at the time of arrest and subsequently discovered the main heroin stockpile hidden behind the principal’s house.
According to the police, the total recovered weighed 1.185 kilograms (1 kilo, 185 grams, and 400 milligrams).
Following the discovery, police arrested the principal and launched a separate investigation into the financial background and property holdings of the couple.
The Peliyagoda residence of Councillor Disna Neranjala was also searched on the same evening (November 5), though no suspicious items were found during the inspection.
However, investigators stated that both the principal and his wife are suspected to be part of an extended network associated with Kosgoda Sujee, one of Sri Lanka’s most wanted narcotics traffickers.
During police questioning, Principal Balasuriya reportedly told investigators that the heroin stock had been supplied by his nephew, a man named Shashi, currently residing in Dubai.
According to police records, Shashi had previously lived in Sri Lanka and was arrested several times in connection with narcotics trafficking before relocating abroad.
Both the principal and the hotel employee were produced before the Thambuttegama Magistrate’s Court on November 6 and remanded until further notice. Police have also confirmed that a forensic and financial investigation into the couple’s assets is currently underway.
The investigation is being carried out under the direct supervision of Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Thilina Hewapathirana, the officer in charge of the Anuradhapura Division, acting on instructions from Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Buddhika Siriwardena, in charge of the North Central Province.
The operation was led by Chief Inspector Nuwan Wickramasinghe, Officer-in-Charge of the Anuradhapura Crime Investigation Division.
The name “Kosgoda Sujee” has long been synonymous with Sri Lanka’s organised narcotics trade. Known for his operations spanning Colombo, the Southern Province, and connections in Dubai, Sujee’s network is believed to continue functioning through family members and loyal associates.
Law enforcement sources have previously identified several municipal politicians and provincial figures with indirect financial links to Sujee’s syndicate. Police believe the Malima Municipal Councillor and her husband may be part of a second-tier support structure, providing logistical and financial cover to the network.
This case marks the third instance within two months where family members of local politicians have been arrested for large-scale heroin trafficking in Sri Lanka’s provinces.
Anti-narcotics officers say the pattern is “disturbingly consistent” — drug money is being laundered through small businesses, including hotels, transport firms, and construction companies, often registered in the names of spouses or relatives of public officials.
Speaking to LeN, a senior officer at the Anuradhapura Division said:
“We are treating this as a major case, not just a family matter. The network extends beyond Anuradhapura. We have evidence of connections to international supply chains based in Dubai and Southeast Asia.”
By Thisara Samal – Anuradhapura Correspondent
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by (2025-11-06 19:26:48)
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