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The owner of the bird park in the Nagarawewa area of Hambantota was arrested and remanded in custody along with a group of other suspects in July 2025 in connection with an incident involving alleged importation of high-powered motorcycles.
When this case was taken up at the Hambantota Magistrate’s Court recently, a huge discussion erupted on social media after news reports stated that the court had acquitted the suspects and had ordered their release, including the owner of the bird park.
However, most reports had failed to convey the whole picture, and let’s look at what really happened.
Social Media Posts:
Several mainstream media outlets reported that, “Hambantota Bird Park Owner Acquitted in Illegal Motorcycle Import Case.”
The news was also shared on social media, stating that the owner of the bird park was acquitted and freed in relation to the incident.
We conducted an investigation to verify whether the relevant individuals were actually acquitted and released from the case.
Fact Check:
Background of the Incident
On 12 July 2025, the Central Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) of the Sri Lanka Police conducted a raid on the park premises following a special tip-off received by the Acting Inspector General of Police regarding an incident of illegal possession of high-powered motorcycles at the Bird Park located in Nagarwewa, Hambantota.
During the raid, twenty-one high-powered and luxury motorcycles worth more than Rs. 250 million, including a Harley-Davidson, which were prohibited from being imported into Sri Lanka, were seized by the police. There items were hidden in a place where bird food was stored. At the same time, 4 illegally cultivated cannabis plants were also found and two employees were arrested.
After further investigations into the incident, the owner of the park, Mr. Ajith Gallage, was arrested in the Narahenpitiya area on 17 July 2025. He was remanded in custody after being produced before the Hambantota Magistrate’s Court on several occasions and later released on bail. More information on this is here.
When the case was taken up at the Hambantota Magistrate’s Court recently on May 6, 2026, several mainstream media outlets and social media outlets reported that the court ordered the acquittal and release of the suspects, including the accused bird park owner. The reason given was that the CCIB had informed the court that it would not pursue the complaint any further.
Sri Lanka Police Issues a Clarification on Misleading Posts
However, the CCIB of Sri Lanka police, which is conducting investigations into the matter, stated that these reports are false. The Sri Lanka Police also clarified that no acquittal had taken place. The CCIB confirmed that legal proceedings are ongoing against the said individual and two others in relation to the alleged illegal importation of high-capacity motorcycles and possession of cannabis.
According to police, during the hearing on 06th May, the CCIB requested the court to proceed under the Customs Ordinance for the import-related charges and to initiate a separate case concerning the alleged possession of cannabis. According to the Police statement, the court has not acquitted the suspects but has instead completed the initial B report and issued orders to proceed with separate legal actions as requested by the CCIB. The statement is available here.
However, since some social media outlets had accused the Sri Lanka police of making misleading statements and stated that the suspects were acquitted and released, we inspected the matter further.
Document submitted by CCIB – Sri Lanka Police
Therefore, we examined the documents submitted to the Hambantota Magistrate’s Court on 06.05.2026 by the Central Crime Investigation Bureau regarding the relevant case.
According to the relevant report, Sri Lanka Customs has reported to the court that it will take action under the Customs Ordinance regarding the illegal importation of motorcycles from foreign countries without licenses, conduct investigations and take necessary action against the suspects. As a result, the prosecution (CCIB) does not intend to take further legal action against the suspects in this ongoing case and has requested the court to close this ongoing case.
The CCIB has similarly reported to the court that a complaint has been filed under case number 8371/25 of the Hambantota Magistrate’s Court regarding 05 cannabis plants found in the bird park located at the Nagara Wewa address in Hambantota. Further report on that case is below.
Police Media Division
When inquired further regarding the incident, Sri Lanka Police Media Division stated that the illegal importation of high-powered motorcycles and the possession of cannabis had been reported to the court in a single case, and accordingly, the CCIB had taken steps to withdraw the original case.
Accordingly, the Police Media Division acknowledged that while it is true that the original case has been withdrawn, the relevant individuals have not been acquitted of those charges, and that Sri Lanka Customs would take action under the Customs Ordinance regarding the illegal importation of high-powered motorcycles, and that the CCIB will proceed with a separate case regarding the possession of cannabis.
Local Journalists – Hambantota
We contacted the local journalists who were reporting on the Hambantota court on 6th May. They stated that the courts had declared that the case filed by the CCIB against the relevant individuals in the Hambantota Magistrate’s Court could not be continued in the way it was filed.
They further added that it was mentioned that Sri Lanka Customs is taking action under the Customs Ordinance in relation to the illegal importation of motorcycles, and the CCIB has requested permission from the Hambantota Magistrate’s Court to file a separate case in relation to the possession of cannabis.
According to the local journalists, the cause of misreporting stemmed from the legal team representing the suspects. Journalists said that the legal team coming out of the court had mentioned to the media that the suspects were acquitted and released from the case as the relevant case could not be continued.
Sri Lanka Customs
As the CCIB had informed the court that Sri Lanka Customs will conduct further investigations into the illegal import of high-powered motorcycles, we contacted the Sri Lanka Customs regarding the future investigations in this regard.
The media spokesperson of Sri Lanka Customs stated that the case materials related to this incident have been received by Sri Lanka Customs, and accordingly, the imported motorcycles are currently in the custody of Sri Lanka Customs. He added that the customs investigation is to be soon carried out.
Under the Customs Ordinance, there will be no court hearing regarding illegal imports, and the investigation will be conducted by Customs, and a decision will be made.
Accordingly, if the relevant party is unable to prove that the goods are not illegally imported, the goods will be confiscated. Media spokesperson added that if there are goods that can be released, they could be released subject to a fine, and in such a case, failure to pay the fine may lead to a fresh case being filed in court as well.
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Conclusion:
Our investigation shows that it’s true that the Hambantota Magistrate’s Court had ordered to end the ongoing case related to alleged illegal importation and possession of high-powered motorcycles and release the suspects. However, the Sri Lanka Customs would be conducting a separate investigation under the Customs Ordinance in relation to the alleged illegal importation of high-powered motorcycles. Separately, the CCIB will proceed with a fresh case against several suspects, in relation to alleged cannabis possession.
Title: Was the owner of the Hambantota Bird Park acquitted from the high-powered motorcycle possession case?
Fact Check By: B.P Hansani
Result: Misleading
