Sri Lankan Navy arrests 6 Tamil Nadu fishermen with heroin

Sources claimed that the six fishermen from Rameswaram, who were trying to smuggle heroin from India into Sri Lanka in a single fishing dhow, were intercepted by gun boat SLNS Ranawickrama of Sri Lankan Naval fleet in the northern waters of the island nation. 

The Sri Lankan ship on patrol detected a suspicious movement at IMBL (International Maritime Boundary Line) from Indian waters to Sri Lankan territorial waters in the wee hours, the Sri Lankan navy said in a statement. “The suspected boat movement was continuously monitored by the patrolling ship,” the Navy said. When the fishing dhow was checked, two bundles of drugs suspected to be heroin was recovered. 

The fishermen along with the dhow were taken to Kankesanthurei Port in Sri Lanka where they were handed over to police for further investigation. When the drug was analysed, it was discovered to contain heroin weighing 13.5 kg. The international value of the seized heroin is pegged at Rs 162 million. 

In the past 15 months, from January 2016 to April 2017, the Sri Lankan Navy had seized 2,140 kg of Kerala cannabis and 130 kg of drugs classified as cocaine and heroin. 

In total, 19 fishermen were arrested for drug peddling, claimed sources.