Court allows to detain suspects arrested with second largest heroin haul
December 6, 2018 08:16 pm
The Colombo Chief Magistrate has granted approval for police to detain for 7 days and question the two suspects arrested with 231 kg of heroin in the Beruwala Beach.
Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) had arrested two persons in Beruwala-Balapitiya beach last night (05), with the second largest haul of heroin.
PNB has found 231 kg 54 g of heroin, parceled in to 214 packets and hidden inside large sugar bags, in the possession of the arrested suspects.
Two Beruwala residents, 38 year old Dilip Prasanna and 34 year old Mohamed Farzan, were arrested in connection with the massive haul of drug.
The police stated that the two suspects were produced before the Colombo Chief Magistrate and sought a court order to detain them for questioning.
The heroin haul is estimated to be worth over Rs 2,778 million, said the Police Media Spokesperson.
Reportedly, the suspects are residents of the Beruwala area. Along with the suspects, a boat used to transport the drugs had also been apprehended.
According to the Police, this is the second largest haul of heroin found in Sri Lanka.
This has been a result of an investigation conducted by the PNB for several weeks.
According to the Police Media Spokesperson, an internal conflict within the smugglers had helped the PNB with the raid.
Police suspect that the heroin might have been packed in Pakistan as Pakistani letters had been printed on some of the sugar bags.
PNB has received assistance from the Special Task Force, Sri Lanka Navy, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), foreign intelligence and the Sri Lanka Coast Guard, on this raid.
