Kerala ganja smuggling: Govt. to curb menace together with India

In the wake of an increase in activities involving Kerala ganja smuggling, the government is planning to engage the Indian authorities to curb the menace, a Minister said yesterday.

Law and Order Minister Ranjith Madduma Bandara told Daily Mirror yesterday that the government would hold talks with India to seek the support of its law enforcement authorities to deal with the problem.

The Minister said the police seized 4,660 kilos of Ganja last year, and a bulk of them was Kerala Ganja.

“We seized 2,721 kilos of Ganja during the first half of this year,” he said.

He said 24,581 suspects were arrested this year in connection with Ganja and Kerala Ganja smuggling.

Kerala Ganja is smuggled into the country through the northern coast of the country. Jaffna is the worst hit area.

“We intend to initiate dialogue with the Indian authorities to get their assistance. We need their help in identifying witnesses needed in our local investigations into smuggling activities,” he said. (Kelum Bandara)