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Authorities left redfaced as PNB officers nabbed for links with drug traffickers
View(s):Police yesterday announced the arrest of four officers attached to the Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) on charges of maintaining links with drug traffickers.
At a media briefing held in Matara, Police Spokesman Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Jaliya Senaratne disclosed that the four PNB officers and a civilian were arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) following a probe into their links with drug traffickers.
The PNB officers’ alleged involvement in the racket was exposed after the recent arrest of a suspected drug trafficker by the Minuwangoda Police. Based on information obtained from the suspect, the CID launched an investigation over reports that a stock of heroin that was supposed to have been taken into PNB custody had been ‘sold’ to drug traffickers.
SSP Senaratne also claimed the CID had recovered cash amounting to Rs. 31.1 mn from the officers.
The incident is a major embarrassment for law enforcement authorities as anti-narcotics operations intensify throughout the country, with several stocks of drugs with millions of rupees in street value being detected this week.
Anuradhapura Deputy Inspector General (DIG) office announced yesterday that a Police Constable attached to the Anuradhapura Police was arrested while transporting 10 kilograms of Kerala Ganja.
On Thursday, officers from the Dehiwala Police arrested two suspects with 1.28 kilograms of heroin from a house at Gonapola in Moragahahena. The suspects, a female (33) and a male (35), were arrested following a tip-off given to Western Province Senior Deputy Inspector General (SDIG) of Police Deshabandu Tennakoon. The suspects were produced before the Horana Magistrate’s Court, where police obtained a court order to hold the male suspect in detention for seven days for questioning. The female suspect was remanded in custody till July 9.
Meanwhile, police in Gampola also obtained a court order to detain and question a suspect arrested for possessing 105 grams of heroin. The suspect was arrested on Thursday following a tip-off. He was produced before the Gampola Magistrate’s Court and court issued a detention order permitting the suspect to be held till July 1.
The Sri Lanka Navy meanwhile, was able to seize a haul of 57 kilograms of Kerala Ganja from Kayts. The drugs had been smuggled onto the island from India and preparations were being made to transport them onto the mainland by dinghy when the stock was taken into custody on Wednesday along with two suspects, the navy stated. The navy estimates the street value of the seized drugs at Rs 5.5 million. It also stated that the navy alone has seized 2911 kilograms of Kerala Ganja within the first six months of this year.