Navy arrest six Indian fishermen with 2,379 kg of beedi leaves

Wednesday, 31 July 2019 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Sri Lanka’s Navy on Monday has intercepted a fishing dhow carrying six Indian nationals with 2,379 kg of beedi leaves, in north-western seas of Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka Navy Ship ‘Sagara’ had spotted a suspicious dhow entering Sri Lankan territorial waters crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line from Indian waters.

Accordingly, SLNS ‘Sagara’ with the assistance of SLNS ‘Suranimila’ on patrol had intercepted the suspicious dhow in seas 22 nautical miles off the St. Anne’s Church, Thalavila.

During further search, 74 packages containing beedi leaves were found by the Navy. Subsequently, the dhow along with suspects on board was also taken into naval custody.

The suspects have been escorted to the naval base SLNS ‘Vijaya’ in Kalpitiya. The seized beedi leave packages were handed over to the Colombo Customs while the fishing dhow and apprehended Indian nationals were handed over to the Police for onward legal action.

Following the directives of Navy Commander Vice Admiral Piyal De Silva, the Navy has introduced strong measures to prevent drug traffickers entering the Sri Lankan waters in the guise of fishermen. As such the Navy has seized over 27,000 kg of beedi leaves this year alone. Further, the Navy said it will continue to conduct regular operations to curb these illegal activities taking place in island’s waters.