A court has approved the detention and questioning of six fishermen arrested with more than 300 kilograms of heroin during a surveillance operation by the Sri Lanka Navy in deep waters off Beruwala. This order was issued when the suspects appeared in court today, October 2, according to officials. The fishermen and their multi-day fishing trawler were apprehended by the Sri Lanka Navy on April 1, following a tip-off from foreign intelligence. Initial investigations by the Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) found 323 kilograms of heroin packed in 298 parcels on the boat. The value of the seized drugs is estimated to exceed Rs. 6.2 billion, as reported by the Sri Lanka Navy. Investigators also learned that the drugs were transferred to the fishermen's boat from an Iranian vessel. Due to legal restrictions, comments have been disabled on all articles related to ongoing court cases, according to the Ada Derana Editorial team. Copyright ©2026 Ada Derana. All rights reserved. Solution by Technology Partner Fortunacreatives.
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Detention orders on 6 fishermen arrested over Rs. 6 billion drug haul
