Navy seizes second trawler with heroin within five days

Altogether over 440 kg of heroin and ICE taken into custody

By Rathindra Kuruwita

The Sri Lanka Navy intercepted a local multi-day fishing trawler carrying a consignment of narcotics on 19 Oct., on the high seas about 292 nautical miles (about 540 km) south of Dondra. The trawler was brought to the Colombo Port yesterday (24).

It was the second detection made during the past five days in the southern seas.

The Navy headquarters said the intercepted local multi-day fishing trawler carried 219 kg of heroin. Five suspects have been taken into custody.

The successful naval operation was conducted on a tip-off received by the State Intelligence Service (SIS).

The street value of the consignment of drugs weighing around 219 kg and 634 g taken into custody during the second operation is over Rs. 4.5 bn.

The suspects taken into custody along with the haul of narcotics were identified as residents of Kudawella, Tissamaharama, Kottegoda and Mamadala areas in the south. They are aged between 30 and 48. The suspects along with the stock of narcotic drugs and the fishing trawler were handed over to the Police Narcotic Bureau for legal action.

The first trawler captured 90 nautical miles west of Galle on 20 Oct., by the Coast Guard was brought to the Dondra fisheries harbour on the morning of 22 Oct. It carried 212 kg of heroin and crystal methamphetamine commonly known as ICE.

Sri Lanka would establish an Anti-Narcotic Command to combat the influx of drugs from overseas, Senior Adviser on National Security to the President and Chief of the Presidential Staff, Sagala Ratnayaka announced on Tuesday (24).

That would enable the Sri Lankan armed forces and the State Intelligence Service to collaborate with international intelligence agencies to conduct anti-drug operations, Ratnayake said while inspecting a cache of 212 kilos of heroin and ICE with a street value of Rs 4 billion (12.3 million U.S. dollars) seized by the Navy.

Sri Lanka Coast Guard Ship, Samudraraksha, made the first detection 91 nautical miles (168 km) off Galle, based on a tip-off by the Sri Lanka Navy and the Police Narcotics Bureau.

The stock of heroin was brought back to the Colombo Port.

Ratnayaka said the Anti-Narcotic Command Bill would be presented to Parliament soon.

Ratnayaka said that at present the anti-narcotic operations could prevent the smuggling of about 65 percent of the dangerous drugs into the country, and the new programme was aimed at putting an end to drug smuggling, he added.

The Navy has seized narcotics with a gross street value of over Rs 15.2 billion rupees (46.64 million dollars) during operations so far this year.