Navy seizes haul of illegal drugs in northern seas

The Navy managed to seize a haul of drug strain known to be Kerala cannabis, during a special operation carried out in the sea area about 22 nautical miles off Point Pedro on 11^th August 2020.

Sri Lanka Navy remains vigilant around the clock to curb smuggling of contraband and human smuggling activities by regularly inspecting suspicious vessels in island’s waters. In this backdrop, the Northern Naval Command under the supervision of Deputy Chief of Staff and Commander Northern Naval Area, continues to carry out coordinated operations covering both land and sea areas, depending on the available intelligence.

In another well executed naval operation, Fast Attack Craft had launched a special search in the sea area about 22 nautical miles (about 40km) north of Point Pedro and recovered 06 sacks containing Kerala cannabis jettisoned at sea by racketeers, as their smuggling attempt was foiled by the Navy's presence. Meanwhile, the wet weight of the recovered haul of drugs is measured to be over 275kg.

Due to COVID-19 concerns, the seized stock of drugs was handed over to the Point Pedro Police for onward investigation, after proper sterilization process. Meanwhile, naval operations are currently underway in search of the drug transferring vessel and smugglers involved in this racket.