The Maldives Police has confirmed that a suspected Sri Lankan fishing vessel, "Avishka Putha," was taken into custody along with 355.9kg suspected narcotics and five individuals who were onboard.
Issuing a press release, the Maldives Police Service said the vessel was taken into custody by the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) Coast Guard on November 7 after being found within the Maldivian Exclusive Economic Zone without authorization.
Upon inspection, MNDF identified suspcious sacks believed to contain narcotics onboard. The vessel and its five crew members were subsquently handed over to the Maldives Police Service on November 9 for further investigation, the statement said.
Following a court authorised search conducted on November 10, a total of 24 sacks containing suspects narcotics were discovered. The provisional weight of the seized substances is 355.9 kilograms, comprising 58.6 kilograms of suspected heroin and 297.3 kilograms of suspected methamphetamine, the Maldives Police revealed.
Five Sri Lankan nationals, aged 39, 42, 28, 34 and 63, have been arrested in connection with the case.
The investigation is ongoing and is being carried out jointly by the Maldives Police Service, Maldives National Defence Force, Sri Lankan Navy and the Sri Lankan Police.
The Colombo–Kandy main road at Pahala Kadugannawa has been closed indefinitely after a deadly rockfall in the area that left six people dead and four others injured.
The Cyclonic Storm “Ditwah” moved further north from Trincomalee today evening leaving a trail of destruction including more than 90 deaths, over 100 missing and tens of thousands displaced, officials said.
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