Navy seizes 104kg of Kerala cannabis off Kusumanthurai, Jaffna
The Sri Lanka Navy stopped a dinghy landing sacks at Kusumanthurai, Jaffna, on 12 June 2020 and seized more than 104kg of Kerala cannabis in 38 parcels, arresting two suspects. The haul and the two dinghies were handed to Ilavalai Police for investigation.
Naval personnel of the Northern Naval Command spotted a dinghy approaching the shore at Kusumanthurai, Jaffna, on 12 June 2020 with people transferring sacks from the dinghy onto land.[1][2]When patrol officers reached the scene the suspects fled back to sea, leaving sacks behind that held 25 parcels of Kerala cannabis weighing about 57kg.[1][2]
The Navy then launched a special operation for the fleeing dinghy, taking it into custody with two men aboard off Madagal.[1]Acting on information from those men, officers recovered another 13 parcels with more than 46kg abandoned at sea, bringing the day’s total to over 104kg of Kerala cannabis in two dinghies.[1]
The suspects, the cannabis and the dinghies were handed to the Ilavalai 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.
