By Sugeeswara Senadhira/Ceylon Today

Colombo, September 13: Recent detections of enormous portions of heroin from vessels crusing within the Indian Ocean have as soon as once more introduced residence the crucial want for cooperation between the international locations of the area.

At the top of August, the Sri Lanka Navy had seized a trawler with 5 suspects, carrying over 290 kilograms of heroin. The Navy Spokesman stated that the consignment of narcotics, valued at practically LKR 2,321 million, was secured from overseas smugglers in worldwide waters. The operation was carried out by the Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) with the help of the Sri Lanka Navy, based mostly on a tip-off obtained by the State Intelligence Service.

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In April, the Sri Lanka Navy intercepted a vessel carrying 260 kilograms of Heroin and 56 kilograms of Crystal Methamphetamine (ICE). The Navy Spokesperson stated the worth of the narcotics was LKR 3,200 million. The Navy arrested seven overseas nationals, suspected to be Iranians, who have been within the vessel and handed them over to police.

In the identical month, India’s Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) of Kochi seized practically 340 kg of heroin from a Sri Lankan fishing boat and arrested 5 individuals. Initial interrogation of the 5 males has led the NCB to imagine that the Sri Lankan boat had picked up the drug consignment from a red-colored Iranian boat. Officials advised the media the Indian naval ship Suvarna intercepted the Sri Lankan boat “D.U Shashila” within the excessive seas within the Indian Ocean on suspicion of drug trafficking and introduced the boat to Kochi’s Mattancherry Wharf for an intensive search by the NCB. The heroin consignment seized by the NCB had a road worth of INR 340 crore (SLRs 8,500 million) and INR 1,750 crore (SL Rs 43,500 million) within the worldwide market, an official of the Federal Drug Enforcement Agency in India stated.

Intercepted in High Seas

The Indian anti-drug legislation enforcement businesses turned extraordinarily involved over the current seizure of greater than 600 kg of heroin and the arrest of seven Pakistani nationals by the Sri Lanka Navy within the excessive seas. A overseas vessel used for drug trafficking was additionally impounded. In the most recent operation performed by the Sri Lanka Navy, in coordination with the police and intelligence businesses, the overseas vessel carrying the medicine and the seven accused individuals was intercepted about 1,370 km south of the Sri Lankan coast on September 1.

The Indian media, quoting officers of drug enforcement businesses, stated the vessel, which was camouflaged as a fishing ship, had originated from the Makran coast in Pakistan.

The breakthrough got here after the Sri Lankan businesses, in an identical operation on 30 August, seized about 290 kg of heroin and arrested 5 native suspects who have been attempting to smuggle the contraband into the island in a fishing trawler. The contraband had been offloaded from the overseas vessel which was later seized on 1 September. It was after an extended hole {that a} ‘mother’ ship transporting such an enormous consignment was caught. Indian officers imagine the identical ship was used previously to smuggle heroin into India. According to officers, such ships are stored in worldwide waters to evade detection. In small consignments, the medicine are transported to varied locations in trawlers.

In March, the Indian Coast Guard intercepted a Sri Lankan fishing trawler off the coast of Vizhinjam in Kerala. Over 300 kg of heroin, aside from 5 AK-47 rifles and 1,000 rounds of ammunition, have been seized. In one other case reported this July, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized about 300 kg of heroin from some containers at Nhava Sheva Port in Navi Mumbai. At the identical port in August final 12 months, the DRI had discovered 191 kg of heroin. Several individuals, together with two Customs home brokers, have been arrested in that case. The Indian Navy had intercepted one other Sri Lankan fishing vessel within the excessive seas in April. It was dropped at Mattancherry Wharf, Kochi, on April 19.

Subsequent searches led to the seizure of 337 kg of heroin. Officials of the the National Investigation Agency (NIA) advised Media that the probe into the seizure of heroin, AK-47 rifles and ammunition off the coast of Vizhinjam close to Thiruvananthapuram has led to hypothesis that a global drug working and weapon buying and selling racket is aimed toward reviving in Sri Lanka the LTTE, a terrorist group now working from overseas.

The case pertains to the 18 March interception of a ship with the contraband by the Coast Guard following an intelligence enter. The mastermind behind the operation was Suresh Rajan, a former Tamil resident of Colombo residing in Kundrathur, a Chennai suburb, for a while.

Rajan was arrested from Angamaly, Kerala, in August and was later taken into custody by the Tamil Nadu Q-branch for his hyperlinks with LTTE teams nonetheless energetic in Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka. During searches performed by NIA at premises linked to the accused in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, a number of incriminating paperwork, together with books regarding the LTTE and a number of other cellphones, devices and SIM playing cards have been seized.

According to the officer, the 18 March incident was not an remoted case. “Evidence collected from Rajan after his arrest, including those of transactions worth crores, shows that he was an international drug smuggler with active links to Pakistan-based drug runner Haji Salim, who often shuttled between Dubai, Pakistan and Iran. Rajan had a prominent role in drugs and arms trafficking to Sri Lanka through the backyard of India,” the officer stated.

A Tamil Nadu intelligence officer stated there was proof that Rajan met Sri Lankan drug lord Madhush Lakshitha alias ‘Makandure Madush’, who was killed in a shootout in Colombo in October 2020. “Rajan was also in touch with Salim,” stated the officer.

There was proof that Rajan and Soundarajan labored intently with people who’re LTTE sympathizers and its reported revival mission. “If drugs were to earn money, the five AK-47 rifles seized from the boats were supposedly for LTTE sleeper cells,” the officer stated.

The sleuths acknowledged they can not affirm the power of LTTE cells. “We cannot ascertain at this moment whether there already is a LTTE revival in Sri Lanka or Tamil Nadu, or if it is a group earning money in the guise of reviving the group” stated an officer.

Two related seizures of Sri Lankan boats — earlier than and after the Vizhinjam incident — are nonetheless being probed by the NCB. In March, the Coast Guard intercepted a Sri Lankan boat off Minicoy with six crew members and seized one other Sri Lankan boat off Kanyakumari in November with 120 kg of narcotics price roughly INR 1,000 crore and 5 weapons.

Keeping the lethal LTTE at bay

Recent investigations into drug smuggling instances revealed that the cash to be obtained after the sale of medication was for funding the LTTE’s revival efforts. India prolonged the ban of LTTE for 5 extra years from 2019. The banned outfit has been attempting to regroup in India utilizing sleeper cells and with the help of funds sourced via soiled cash raised via drug commerce.

C. Rajeev, Director, Centre for Policy and Development Studies advised The Wire web site that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister needed to maintain a secure distance from the pro-LTTE teams. “Chief Minister M.K. Stalin wants to stay clear of the LTTE and prevent the outfit from sowing the seeds of Tamil nationalism again in the minds of these refugees. The Chief Minister’s package for the Tamil refugees is a deft political move to prevent LTTE from garnering support from these refugee colonies,” stated the think-tank researcher.

Last month, Tami Nadu Chief Minister M.Okay. Stalin introduced a bundle of INR 317.40 crore (LKR 7,925 million) to the Sri Lankan Tamil refugee camps unfold throughout the state. The cash was for the reconstruction of the camps in addition to to supply schooling to the kids and scholarships for the postgraduate college students among the many refugees.

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