A suspect with Kerala cannabis valued at over Rs. 43 Mn street value held in northern waters

A special search operation conducted by the Navy off Uduththurei, Jaffna in the dark hours of 18th August 2023 led to the apprehension of a suspect (01) with over 130kg (wet weight) of Kerala cannabis being smuggled by a dinghy.

The Sri Lanka Navy remains vigilant and actively carries out operations to curb illegal activities in island waters and coastal zones. As an extension of these efforts, Naval Deployment Veththalakerni in the Northern Naval Command conducted a search operation off Uduththurei and inspected a dinghy in the sea area on suspicion. The search led to the recovery of about 130kg and 600g (wet weight) of Kerala cannabis in 61 parcels which had been stuffed in 03 sacks. Accordingly, Kerala cannabis, the dinghy and a suspect in connection to the incident were taken into naval custody.

Meanwhile, the gross street value of the seized Kerala cannabis is believed to be over Rs. 43 million.

The suspect held in the operation is a resident of Uduththurei in Jaffna, aged 44. The suspect along with Kerala cannabis and the dinghy was handed over to the Maruthankerny Police for onward legal action.