Sri Lanka Navy Unveils Massive Offshore Drug Haul: 839kg of Narcotics Recovered

Sri Lanka Navy Unveils Massive Offshore Drug Haul: 839kg of Narcotics Recovered

TANGALLE, SRI LANKA – The Sri Lanka Navy today confirmed the exact contents of the 51 suspicious parcels recovered from the sea off the Southern Coast, revealing a massive shipment of illegal narcotics with an estimated street value in the billions.

The parcels, which were brought to the Tangalle Fisheries Harbour by the Navy yesterday (October 14), contained a staggering total of 839 kilograms of drugs.

According to the Sri Lanka Navy Spokesman, the contents included:

• ICE (Crystal Methamphetamine): 670 kg
• Heroin: 156 kg
• Hashish: 12 kg

Link to Notorious Trafficker

Initial reports suggest the enormous drug consignment is suspected to belong to the notorious drug trafficker known as ‘Unakuruwe Shantha’.

The operation that led to this discovery was the culmination of weeks of intensive surveillance. The Director of the Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB), SSP Hemal Prashantha, had received intelligence in early September regarding an attempt to smuggle a major consignment of drugs into the country using three specific vessels.

32-Day Search Operation

Under the direct supervision of the Inspector General of Police, the Navy and the PNB launched a combined search operation that lasted 32 days in the Dondra and Tangalle sea areas.

During the lengthy operation, authorities attempted to contact the crews of the suspected vessels, but no specific information was provided. It was also revealed that the Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS) installed on the vessels had been deliberately deactivated in an attempt to conceal their locations. Despite the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) also joining the search, the three vessels were not located. The eventual recovery of the floating parcels indicates the consignment may have been abandoned at sea during the pursuit or transfer. **(NewsCenter) **