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PNB hunts more suspects following largest offshore heroin haul
The media were shown the sacks (labelled 'wheat bags') containing the stock of heroin at a press briefing held at the Police Narcotics Bureau. Pix by Athula Devapriya
Officers of the Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) were yesterday hunting for several more suspects, after a joint Police-Naval operation smashed an international drug trafficking network.
As of last evening, 14 foreigners, 10 Iranians, 2 Pakistanis, 1 Indian and a Singaporean, were under arrest for alleged ties to the network.
Most of the suspects were arrested on March 30 night, after the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) intercepted a multi-day fishing trawler off the Southern coast and recovered 110 kg of heroin valued at over Rs 1 billion. A detection thought to be the largest haul of heroin ever seized from a vessel in the country’s territorial waters. The SLNS Nandimithra and SLNS Mihikatha, along with several Fast Attack Craft, took part in the operation conducted on a tip-off received by the PNB, SLN Spokesman Cpt. Akram Alavi told the Sunday Times.
Both the police and the navy hailed the joint operation as a triumph of intelligence sharing between the two agencies.
Ten Iranians and a Pakistani onboard the vessel were taken into custody. On Friday, PNB officers raided a lodging house at Dungalpitiya in Negombo, allegedly used as an ‘operations centre’ by the network. Two suspects who were at the location escaped in a Montero Jeep as the officers closed in, leading to a high-speed chase that ended with police shooting out the tires of the vehicle. The suspects, an Indian and a Singaporean, were eventually apprehended near the Ja-Ela entrance to the Colombo-Katunayake Expressway, with help from the Pamunugama Police. A Pakistani national who was at the lodging house in Negombo was also taken into custody.
Under Sri Lanka law, those found guilty of possessing 2 kg or more, of ‘pure heroin’, face the death penalty or life imprisonment.
The trawler is believed to have originated from Iran, while the drugs are suspected to have been loaded in Pakistan. PNB detectives were yesterday trying to trace the owners of the vessel currently moored at Dikkowita under Naval custody. Police sniffer dogs are checking the vessel for more drugs. 
Yesterday, the media were shown the sacks containing the stock of heroin at a press briefing held at the Police Narcotics Bureau. The heroin, police said, had been neatly packed into 100 parcels and placed in sacks labelled ‘Wheat Bags’ and ‘100kg’ in English. Arabic lettering was also visible on the sacks.
Police Spokesman ASP Ruwan Gunasekara said the detection had been the culmination of a probe lasting several months, conducted by the PNB, following information received that an international drug trafficking network had established itself in Sri Lanka.
He further revealed that law enforcement authorities had recovered a total of 155.816 kg of heroin to date this year. This constitutes 126.591 kg of heroin by the PNB, 27.694 kg by other Police stations, 82 gm by the STF and 1.448 kg by the Sri Lanka Customs.
Additionally, 693 kg of Ganja, including ‘Kerala Ganja’, have been recovered in the first three months of this year.
Police now intend conducting more joint anti-drug trafficking operations with the armed forces agencies. ASP Gunasekara said assistance would also be sought from the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) for aerial surveillance.
According to the SLN, Pakistani and Afghan drug dealers have been engaging in large scale drug trafficking with local drug dealers. According to SLN investigations, consignments of drugs are transferred by foreign vessels to the seas off Sri Lanka, and brought ashore by multi-day fishing trawlers.
The sealed up heroin that will be produced in courts
While the SLN claims the drugs are then transferred to Colombo via the Southern Expressway, police declined to comment on the claims as investigations were still ongoing.
The trawler from which the heroin was seized