Navy seizes 100 kg of Kerala ganja off Kachchatheevu, arrests six
SLNS Udara arrested four Indians and two Sri Lankans with about 100 kg of Kerala ganja off Kachchatheevu on 25 April 2013 after finding bags of cannabis hidden in a GPS-fitted Indian dhow.
SLNS Udara, on routine patrol for the Northern Naval Command, stopped a
suspicious Indian dhow north-east of Kachchatheevu Island on 25 April 2013
and found four bags of cannabis hidden inside.[1]The navy put the haul at
about 100 kg of “Kerala Ganja”.[1][2]
Four Indians were arrested aboard the GPS-fitted dhow, which the navy said
was heading for a pre-arranged handover point.[1]Two Sri Lankans who
arrived at the spot in a fibreglass dinghy to take the drugs away were
arrested as well.[1]
The six arrested people, the cannabis and the craft involved were handed over
to Delft Police for further investigation.[1]
Case data
Every number and detail the sources state, with the sources that state it.
Sri Lanka Police said 597,964 drug-related operations over the past two years involved 596,591 suspects and recovered 43,726 kilograms of narcotics, of which 28,441 kilograms was cannabis. Police valued the whole haul at about Rs. 224 billion and also reported 4,056 firearms and weapons seized in the same period.
Sri Lanka Customs opened nine uncollected foreign postal parcels at the Central Mail Exchange in Colombo and seized kush, hashish, ecstasy and cocaine worth Rs 60.26 million. The parcels came from Thailand, Spain, Britain and the US; the drugs went to the Police Narcotic Bureau.
Sri Lanka Customs found 2.4 kg of cannabis and 12.4 kg of hashish worth Rs 157 million hidden inside wooden table boards shipped from Thailand as a gift. A 29-year-old suspect from Ragama was taken into Customs custody.
The Sri Lanka Navy intercepted a dinghy in Jaffna's Gurunagar lagoon and reported recovering over 192 kg of foreign cannabis in 88 parcels packed into seven sacks. One suspect and the seizure were handed to the Jaffna police for further legal action.
