Navy seizes 807 Kg of smuggled turmeric at Mannar and Norochcholai beaches

The Navy managed to seize another stock of dried turmeric, weighing about 807kg, attempted to be smuggled into the country, in the beach areas of Daluwa in Norochcholai and Vankalai in Mannar yesterday, Navy said.

In an operation carried out in the beach area of Daluwa in Norochcholai, naval personnel attached to the Northwestern Naval Command had nabbed 04 suspects who were attempting to smuggle in about 700kg of dried turmeric by 02 dinghies. 

The smuggled items had been stuffed in 14 gunny sacks. The suspects held in connection to the incident were identified as residents of Kalpitiya area, from 25 to 58 years of age. In a similar vein, naval personnel of North Central Naval Command, during a patrol in the beach area of Vankalai, Mannar had detected 02 suspicious sacks washed ashore and recovered approximately 107kg (in wet weight) of turmeric in those sacks.

Meanwhile the Navy, on several occasions in the past three weeks, has been able to seize over 8245kg of dried turmeric smuggled into the island via sea routes. The accused in connection to the recent two incidents in Daluwa and Vankalei, together with the stocks of dried turmeric and dinghies were handed over to the Sinnapadu and Jaffna Custom Offices for onward legal action, Navy said. 

Due to COVID-19 concerns all these naval operations were conducted in compliance with guidelines stipulated by health authorities.