Fishermen ‘catch’ floating heroin

Investigations have revealed that the 08 kilos and 304 grams of heroin found on Monday morning (07) by the officers of the Police

 Narcotics Bureau in a house at Ambepitiya, Beruwala is part of a 25 kilogramme heroin stock found by a group of fishermen while it was floating in the sea.

The Police Narcotics Bureau states that a group of six fishermen who went to sea from Kudawella Fisheries harbour on October 11 found two polythene bags floating in the sea.When the two bags were brought ashore they had found 25 kilogrammes of heroin in them.

A senior police officer said that instead of handing the heroin stock to the police, the fishermen and the owner of the boat had shared the drug stock among themselves. According to the information received by the officers of Matara Police Narcotics Bureau Sub-Unit on November 6 of this month a fisherman was arrested with 544 grams and 300 milligrams of heroin in Tangalle Kudawella. He was looking for a buyer to sell the drugs he got. Police Narcotics Bureau officials got to know about the 25 kilos of heroin found floating in the sea after questioning the suspect.The suspect, a 43 year old, is a resident of Nakulagamuwa. The Police Narcotics Bureau stated that he was produced at the Tangalle Courts and a seven-day detention order was obtained.

A house in Beruwala Ambepitiya area was searched and more than eight kilos of heroin packed in seven parcels were found based on the information revealed by the suspect who was arrested in Kudawella. A 42-year-old fisherman residing in Beruwala had also been arrested by the Police Narcotics Bureau along with these seven parcels of heroin.

The Police Narcotics Bureau stated that investigations are currently underway to find the rest of the narcotics found at sea and brought to land.