743.8kg of beedi leaves recovered during another naval operation in northern seas

During a naval operation conducted on 27^th September 2019 in northern seas two smugglers were apprehended with 27 packages of beedi leaves. Meanwhile, a subsequent naval operation was carried out in the same sea area and the Navy managed to find 12 more packages of beedi leaves in the seas west of Kovilam Lighthouse.

The consignment of beedi leaves was adrift in waters and the packages contained 743.8kg of beedi leaves. It is believed that the smugglers might have left behind the stock in fear of continuous patrols conducted by the Navy. Accordingly, the Navy seized a total of 2,060.4kg of beedi leaves in northern waters on 27^th September.

The seized stock of beedi leaves was handed over to the Jaffna Customs for onward investigation. Since the Navy is conducting continuous patrols in Sri Lankan waters, the chances are very slim for the racketeers to use island’s waters for illegal activities.