Police Seize 20,000 kg of Refuse Tea
10 June 2013
Twenty-thousand kilograms of refuse tea waiting for export from Sri Lanka was seized by a police special task force in Mulleriyawa, near Colombo, on April 17, 2013.
The police took action when the consignment was being readied for export to Congo and Ghana. Refuse tea is black tea which, while fit for human consumption, does not qualify for sale under the prescribed descriptions and standards of the traditional grades of tea.
Two suspects were taken into custody and another 3,000 empty boxes, 2,000 empty tin cans and 50 kg of empty bags for export use were seized. The police had previously seized 120,000 kg in March.
According to Sri Lanka’s Daily News, traders export refuse tea under the trademark of “Sri Lankan tea.” While many of these shipments have been rejected by other countries, traders continue to use deserted warehouses and other buildings to continue manufacturing and exporting the refuse tea.
The newspaper also reported that current laws are insufficient to deal with such infringement. Exporters can earn as much as SLRs1.5 million (US$11,800) for each cargo of refuse tea, and are fined but not jailed if arrested. Suspects regularly plead guilty, pay the fine and resume doing business immediately.
