Back to today’s briefing

Story perspectives

Senior Monk Arrested, Mother Detained in Cannabis Probe

5/11/2026

44 9 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

Police arrested senior monk Pallegama Hemarathana in Colombo and will bring him before a judge on Tuesday.
The 71-year-old monk is chief custodian of a Bodhi tree sapling and oversees eight temples.
Authorities detained the victim’s mother on aiding-and-abetting charges.
A court in Anuradhapura had placed a foreign-travel ban on the monk the day before his arrest, after authorities seized 242 pounds of cannabis from 22 monks at the airport.

1 of 1

Story summary

Police arrested senior monk Pallegama Hemarathana in Colombo and will bring him before a judge on Tuesday.
The 71-year-old monk is chief custodian of a Bodhi tree sapling and oversees eight temples.
Authorities detained the victim’s mother on aiding-and-abetting charges.
A court in Anuradhapura had placed a foreign-travel ban on the monk the day before his arrest, after authorities seized 242 pounds of cannabis from 22 monks at the airport.