Heroin Bust : Court authorizes to detain & interrogate 17 suspects

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Colombo Additional Magistrate Chandima Liyanage on Wednesday (26) authorized the Police Narcotic Bureau to detain and interrogate 17 suspects who were arrested in connection to the seizure of more than 300 kg of heroin in international waters.

Among the suspects are the owners of the two trawlers that were seized.

In a successful operation carried out in international waters south of Sri Lanka, the Navy managed to seize a haul of heroin, with 11 suspects and 02 local fishing vessels on 17th and 22nd January 2022 and they were brought to the port of Colombo this morning (25th January).

The consignment of heroin in 309 packages, which had been stuffed in 13 sacks, weighed approx. 343kg 456g (including packages).

The street value of the seized consignment of illegal drugs is believed to be over Rs. 3400 million.

The seized stock of heroin together with the suspects and local fishing trawlers were handed over to the Police Narcotic Bureau (PNB) for onward legal proceedings. Meanwhile, the Navy and PNB are conducting further investigation into this incident.

Earlier, Sri Lanka Police said that the heroin smuggling operation was being carried out by a drug dealer named Hara Kata from Dubai.

The trawlers that were taken into custody had set sail from Kudawella in Matara.

In December 2021, India's National Investigation Agency charged 15 Sri Lankans, who were arrested in connection with the smuggling of arms, ammunition, and drugs to India, of attempting to revive the activities of the proscribed organization, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

Some of the accused were earlier arrested from a fishing vessel in the Arabian Sea on March 25th, 2021, and drugs, arms, and ammunition were seized from them.

The accused had conspired among themselves and sailed to India from Kudawella harbour at Sri Lanka in the fishing vessel, Ravihansi. They also took with them 300 kg heroin and prohibited arms and ammunition, according to the charge sheet that was filed at the Special Court of the Agency here in Kochi.