Six arrested with Rs. 3.5 bn worth of heroin brought ashore

The six men who were arrested along with 175 kilos of heroin during a special search operation had been brought ashore at the Galle Harbour.

The Special joint operation was carried out by the Sri Lanka Navy, Sri Lanka Police and other intelligence agencies in the seas south of Sri Lanka

The Navy Spokesman said the suspects were arrested when they were carrying narcotics in a multi-day fishing vessel.

“The contraband has a street value of Rs. 3.5 billion,” the officer said.

The heroin was intercepted about 132 nautical miles (About 244km) off the Little Basses, Hambantota on Saturday, April 15, 2023.

The trawler had set sail from the Kudawella fishery harbour on March 20, according to the SLN.

He said that the SL Navy suspected that the heroin stock had been smuggled from Pakistan and was handed over to the vessel in international waters.

The suspects held in the operation have been identified as residents of Nakulugamuwa, Kudawella, Netolpitiya, and Trincomalee and between 25 to 32 years of age. 

“They will be handed over to the Police Narcotics Bureau for legal action,” the officer said.

The Sri Lanka Navy has seized drugs with a gross street value of over Rs. 4,908 million during operations in 2023. (Darshana Sanjeewa Balasuriya)