Excise men in the Uva Province yesterday and the day before, destroyed 16 Cannabis cultivations estimated to have been worth Rs 2.5 million.

Four suspects at work at the time of the raids were produced before Wellawaya Magistrate and each was fined Rs 10,000.

These cultivations were in the areas of Koslanda and Tanamalwila.

The raids were a joint operation by Excise officers attached to the Nuwara Eliya, Badulla, Moneragala and Bandarawela Excise offices.

They were conducted in Nikapotha, Akkraseeya, Velanvita and Gurupotha areas.

Excise Commissioner Uva, Wasantha Dissanayake said this was the biggest haul of Ganja detected by the Excise men and was also of the highest value.

The department had also deployed the highest number of officers and men which could be the biggest raid of this nature in the recent times, a spokesman for the department said.

The raiding party destroyed around 800,000 ganja plants 4-7 feet in height.

Around 40 officers including the raiding party included Excise Commissioner Moneragala, Kapila Kumarasignhe and Excise Commissioner Badulla, Upali Wickramaratne.