Over 650kg of Ice heroin, seized from fishing vessel escorted to Dikkovita Harbour

Sri Lankan authorities announced the seizure of 654 kilograms of illegal drugs from a fishing boat at Dikkovita Fisheries Harbour yesterday. This haul included 478 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine, known as ICE, and 176 kilograms of heroin. The Sri Lanka Navy intercepted two fishing trawlers suspected of carrying drugs and weapons in international waters south of the island. These vessels were brought to Dikkovita Harbour on October 12. Deputy Minister of Defence, Major General Aruna Jayasekara (Retd), stated that the total value of the drugs taken from the two boats is estimated to be around Rs. 10 billion. Additionally, the Navy arrested 10 individuals found on board the trawlers. The suspicious boats were located during a special naval operation that involved long-range vessels. When searching one of the trawlers, the naval personnel found numerous sacks believed to contain over 600 kilograms of narcotics. Furthermore, the Navy recovered eight pistols with magazines, two T-56 rifles, and one M16 rifle from this vessel. The M16 rifle is known to be used mainly by elite security forces. The second fishing trawler is thought to have provided support and surveillance for the first one.