COLOMBO: Statistics show that authorities are only capable of apprehending 10% of the drugs smuggled into a country, said Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral, Ravindra Wijegunaratne yesterday at the Meeting of Senior Drug Enforcement Officials of the Indian Ocean Region.
The conference which will have the participation of 21 States and seven organizations is to deal with the issue of maritime drug trafficking in the Indian Ocean region.
“On average heroin seized in India destined to Sri Lanka is 2-3 times more than what is detected in Sri Lanka by our Navy. The smugglers know to make use of our inability to monitor the high seas successfully”, said Vice Admiral Wijegunaratne.
With regard to Sri Lanka, the Navy Commander quoted the shocking figures below:
“The value of daily drug consumption is estimated to be Rs 450 million and there are around 45,000 drug addicts in our country. They consume a total of 753kg of drugs per year”.
He however pointed out that the amount of drugs which pass through Sri Lanka is higher than its consumption making the country an emerging drug hub.
“Smugglers using sea routes are extremely difficult to be apprehended. We need strategies backed by effective mechanisms to achieve our target. We thus need the sharing of real time intelligence, linkages with regional and international partners to combat trafficking along with their cooperation and coordination”, said the Navy Commander.
