Vessel seized by Navy suspecting to have link with narcotic trafficking, brought to Colombo harbour

The fishing vessel which was seized by Navy in deep seas South of Galle on 11^th July 2019, while plying without flag state and registration markings on the hull, was brought to Colombo harbour this evening. Along with the vessel, the Navy also held 09 foreigners onboard and found substances suspected to be narcotics (approximately 60kg). Further investigations will be carried out to reveal the identity of the vessel and persons aboard.

Meanwhile, the Sri Lanka Navy suspects the Sri Lankan Multi-day Fishing Boat apprehended on 10^th July 2019 off Galle along with 04 crew members and suspected narcotic samples onboard also has a link with the fishing vessel that was taken into custody by the Navy on 11th July. However, the suspects and suspected narcotic samples are to be handed over to the Police Narcotics Bureau for further investigation.