A suspect with Kerala cannabis valued at over Rs. 54 Mn street value held in northern waters

A special search operation conducted by the Navy in the Waththirayan sea area of Veththalakerni, Jaffna this morning (23rd July 2023) led to the apprehension of a suspect (01) with over 165kg of Kerala cannabis being smuggled by a dinghy.

The Sri Lanka Navy remains vigilant and actively carries out operations to curb illegal activities in its waters and coastal zones. As an extension of these efforts, Naval Deployment Veththalakerni in the Northern Naval Command intercepted a suspicious dinghy in the sea area of Waththirayan this morning. During further search, the Navy recovered 75 packages from the dinghy, which had been stuffed with about 165kg and 400g of Kerala cannabis. The suspect in connection to this act of smuggling and the dinghy used for this illegal act were also held during this operation.

Meanwhile, the gross street value of the seized Kerala cannabis is believed to be around Rs. 54 million.

The suspect held in the operation is a resident of Mulliyan, aged 36. The suspect along with narcotics and the dinghy was handed over to the Maradankeni Police for onward legal action.