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Drug traffickers getting smart, but authorities smarter
Law enforcement agencies have stepped up operations to stay ahead of drug traffickers, who are increasingly using new technologies and techniques to carry out drug smuggling activities.
A detective said new measues were necessary because smugglers were now using GPS devises to coordinate operations.
A sting of drugs busts and drugs-related arrests in the past month have revealed extensive details regarding drug-smuggling operations, many with international connections. Those arrested by the Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) include a Pakistani national with 5 kg of heroin at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) on June 25. Inquiries revealed he had allegedly been the supplier to the two Maldivian nationals who were arrested with 1.5 kg of heroin in Colombo in April. Meanwhile, three locals, who are said to be associates of convicted drug trafficker ‘Wele Sudha’ were arrested by the PNB on June 21 with one kg of heroin in Colombo. Hundreds of thousands of rupees in cash and two luxury vehicles were also recovered.
The Pakistani had hidden the heroin inside the false bottom of his suitcases and had also taken a flight from Qatar instead of arriving directly from Pakistan. This tactic, authorities say, was to negate the extra scrutiny that passengers arriving from Pakistan are subjected due to it being identified as the main heroin supply route to the country.
Meanwhile, Wele Sudha’s associates were caught operating from an apartment. It is suspected that they also used luxury vehicles to transport heroin. This is another tactic favoured by drug traffickers who work on the assumption that there would be far less chance of luxury vehicles being stopped by the police.
PNB Director Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kamal Silva told the Sunday Times that these incidents do not necessarily mean there is an increase in the quantity of drugs coming into the country. “We are conducting more raids now and this has resulted in more detection and arrests,” he explained. The major concern for the PNB was the trafficking of heroin, most of which comes from Pakistan.
SSP Silva said authorities have successfully tracked down and dismantled many of the major drug trafficking networks in the country. He said some of the main heroin suppliers such as Lasantha Mendis and Vidura have been arrested.
However he also said one of the problems was that when one key player is not in the picture, either killed or arrested, another steps in.
Customs Superintendent of the Narcotics Control Unit of Sri Lanka Customs, K.H.P. Kumarasiri noted Sri Lanka was also an important transit point for cocaine and other drugs, a fact which was again demonstrated last month, when over 91 kgs of cocaine were found hidden in a container among a consignment of sugar imported from Brazil. “There is no chance of such a haul being sold in Sri Lanka. Cocaine is a high-end drug and only a small number of consumers here can afford it. Even one or two kilos are sufficient for several months. This consignment was clearly intended for somewhere else.” He said both Customs and Police were probing how drugs keep getting into the country as it was clear all avenues of entry were yet to be identified.
Mr. Kumarasiri pointed out that anti-narcotics operations were largely successful when different agencies worked together. For example, the detection by Customs of 261 kilograms of heroin inside tins of grease led to the PNB being able to track down Wele Sudha, while police were also able to arrest drug dealer Mohammed Siddique after probing the Customs discovery of 93 kilograms of heroin hidden inside a stock of drilling equipment.
Meanwhile, in the north of the country smuggling of ‘Kerala Ganja’ showed no signs of abating. This week, Special Task Force (STF) personnel in Jaffna seized a stock of Kerala Ganja weighing 91 kg with a street value of Rs.10 million. Two suspects were also arrested.
Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of the Jaffna STF camp, Inspector J.U.S. De Silva admitted that authorities faced a daunting task in curtailing Kerala Ganja smuggling. Certain areas in Jaffna and Mannar were accessible by boat from India in as little as four hours, making them attractive drop-off points for smugglers. Smugglers also uitulise new technologies and techniques, the OIC revealed. For example, most boats that are engaged in Kerala Ganja smuggling are equipped with a couple of powerful outboard motors, giving them more of a chance to outrun authorities.
In addition, smugglers were now coordinating with each other using GPS technology, the Inspector said. This means they can relay designated coordinates where drugs can be dropped off.
The fact that smugglers were using fleets of Indian fishing boats as cover was also posing problems. Inspector De Silva said the Navy had told him that they had to observe boats for unusual movements and changes of speeds on radar to differentiate possible ganja smuggling boats from those of fishermen. Sometimes, consignments of the drugs were transferred mid-ocean to boats coming from Sri Lanka. The haul recovered this week was also during such a mid-ocean transfer, according to the inspector. The STF was tipped off that a consignment was due to arrive and they lay waiting.
“We have been able to build a small network of reliable informants. They generally give tips with specific details. This drug bust was conducted based on such a tip-off,” the STF officer stated.
Customs Superintendent Kumarasiri meanwhile, revealed, Customs had also initiated steps to reactivate its Marine Division, which was inoperative during the war after their boats had to be handed over to the Navy. “When the division is re-established, we will be able to assist the Navy in intercepting vessels suspected to be transporting drugs,” he revealed.