LNP – Ten suspects arrested over smuggling heroin

Ten suspects aboard two local fishing trawlers which were suspected to have smuggled narcotics into the island, have been arrested by the Navy in the seas off the Western coast.

Navy said the suspects and the fishing trawlers were escorted to the Colombo Port today.

The arrest was made based on information revealed by the suspects of a local fishing trawler which was held during a special operation carried out by the Navy in waters west of Beruwala on January 5.

During the operation the Navy siezed 23kg of heroin smuggled by five suspects.

Along with the consignment of narcotics, 05 suspects and the drug-carrying trawler were also taken into custody.

Based on information revealed by the suspects, two more local multi-day fishing trawlers suspected of smuggling drugs to Sri Lanka were intercepted off the western coast by SLNS Gajabahu on 07th and 08th January.

During interrogation, the suspects aboard those trawlers admitted that they had thrown the stocks of narcotics overboard in the presence of the Navy. The interrogation also revealed that drug traffickers have developed a new strategy in which they remove inside components of the multi-day fishing trawlers’ Radar Domes and conceal drugs within.

Meanwhile, the fishing trawlers and 10 suspects will be handed over to the Police Narcotic Bureau for onward legal proceedings, the Navy said