The Matara Division Crimes Investigations officers have arrested two suspects from the Gandara area for possession of highly-valued ambergris, commonly called as whale vomit.
Police said the suspects had 6.3 kgs of ambergris when the raid was carried out following a tip-off by intelligence units.
The suspects, aged 25 and 34 and residents of Mirissa and Weligama are to be produced before the Kotavila Magistrate’s Court.
Police said the main suspect in this ambergris smuggling had fled the area and investigations are underway to apprehend him.
Ambergris is a waxy substance found in the digestive systems of sperm whales, which has a strong fecal odor when it is fresh, according to the Natural History Museum in the United Kingdom.
