Colombo: Sri Lanka Navy has seized a multi-day fishing trawler carrying over 224 kilograms of drugs suspected to be heroin and arrested five Sri Lankans onboard the vessel while transporting the drugs.
The haul of drugs was discovered when the Navy inspected a suspicious multi-day fishing vessel during a special operation conducted in the seas off the coast of Galle on Sunday (November 03).
The Navy also arrested two persons who are believed to be suspects arrived at the location by a dinghy to collect the drugs. Accordingly, 07 suspects have been apprehended during this naval operation.
It is believed that the suspects were attempting to smuggle the drugs into the country by sea.
Navy Media Spokesperson Lieutenant Commander Isuru Sooriyabandara said the multi-day fishing vessel along with the suspects and the contraband has been brought to the Port of Colombo by the Sri Lanka Navy patrol vessels.
The arrested suspects, the vessel and the drugs will be handed over to the Sri Lanka Police Narcotics Bureau for further investigations, the Spokesperson said.
According to the Navy, this year alone, the Navy has seized about 739kg of heroin during its operations.
Apart from that, the Navy, being an active member of the National Programme for Drug Prevention, has also seized 3 tons (3,263kg) of Kerala cannabis, 8kg of local cannabis, 42 tons (42,851kg) of beedi leaves and a large consignment of drugs attempted to be smuggled or peddled in the country, during 2019.
