Navy seizes huge stock of contraband turmeric

by Dinasena Rathugamage

A five-day Naval special operation conducted  in the Munnakkarai lagoon area, Negombo, and in the seas off Kudiyiruppu and Pesalai, Mannar, helped apprehend five persons attempting to smuggle in over 1,263 kilos of dried turmeric into the country.

Naval personnel in seas off Kudiyiruppu on April 19 seized 543.7 kilos of turmeric in 15 sacks, after searching a suspicious dinghy at sea. Two suspects and the dinghy used for smuggling turmeric were taken into  custody. In another operation on the following day in seas off Pesalai led to the recovery of four sacks cast off in sea by racketeers to avoid detection. The four contained 258.5 kilos of turmeric (in wet weight). The Navy arrested two suspects in that operation.

The personnel of Western Naval Command seized 461.5 kilos of dried turmeric in 14 sacks, after searching two suspicious dinghies at Munnakkarai lagoon area in Negombo on April 17. A suspect and two dinghies were also taken into naval custody.

The suspects were identified as residents of Pesalai and Negombo, between 20 and 44 years of age. The suspect held in Negombo together with the stock of turmeric and the dinghy was handed over to the Customs Preventive Office, Katunayake for onward legal action.

The suspects apprehended in Kudiyiruppu and Pesalai were handed over to the Mannar Public Health Inspector for quarantine procedure.

The consignment of turmeric and the dinghies taken into custody during those operations were handed over to the Customs Office, -Jaffna for onward legal action.