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Another narco ‘mothership’ intercepted

18 Sep 2021

  • Increase in volume of heroin seized this year; 3 vessels in 3 weeks
  • Concerns over sustaining long-range patrols
The Sri Lanka Navy yesterday (18) towed to the Colombo Harbour another foreign vessel which was intercepted on 10 September, trafficking 170.8 kg of heroin in the Indian Ocean. Yesterday’s haul pushes the total volume of heroin intercepted by the Navy as of 18 September 2021 to 1,017 kg, passing the total volume of heroin seized in 2020, which stood at 821.4 kg. The vessel, suspected to be an Iranian dhow, is the second “mothership” apprehended this month and was manned by nine foreign nationals, The Sunday Morning learnt. The first vessel, intercepted on 4 September, was carrying 336 kg of heroin and was manned by a crew comprising seven foreign nationals. A third vessel, a local multi-day fishing trawler with five suspects carrying 290 kg of heroin, was intercepted on 30 August following a combined intelligence effort by the Navy and State Intelligence Service, the Navy said. The crew of the local vessel were identified as residents of Ahungalla, Balapitiya, and Habaraduwa along the southern coast. The vessel intercepted on 10 September was boarded by personnel of the Offshore Patrol Vessel SLNS Sindurala, who took the nine-member crew into custody. The crew of the dhow are suspected to be of Pakistani and Iranian origin. According to the Police, the ongoing investigation has not yet established if the three vessels are connected. The Police Narcotic Bureau (PNB) was conducting further investigations into the incidents. The “motherships” were intercepted in the Arabian Sea by the Navy following long-range patrols, a senior defence source said, adding that the Navy had begun patrolling the region after analysing the traffickers’ behaviour. “These motherships serve several clients, and some of the narcotics are destined for Southeast Asian countries,” he explained, pointing out that sustaining long-endurance patrols was challenging, given tight constraints on resources. In recent months, Indian authorities had expressed concerns over arms trafficking, which runs in tandem with narcotics trafficking in the Indian Ocean. Responding to a query about the recent intercepts, Minister of Public Security Rear Admiral (Retd.) Sarath Weerasekera told The Sunday Morning that the Government was pursuing a three-pronged approach to counter narcotics use and trafficking. “We are disrupting the traffickers at every level and will continue to do so,” he said, commending the Police and the Navy for their effort. However, Minister Weerasekera added that education and awareness-building were key to reducing local demand for narcotics. He also pointed out that the Government’s decision to pursue rehabilitation in place of jail time for drug abusers was aimed at facilitating a reduction of repeat offences and easing pressure on the prison system.


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