(UTV|COLOMBO) – Three Senior Officers from the Sri Lankan Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) are currently in the Seychelles to work with the Seychelles Anti-Narcotics Bureau on on-going drug-smuggling cases in the Indian Ocean, the Seychelles News Agency reported.
The Officials are in Seychelles following a substantial seizure of heroin made in Sri Lanka.
It was reported that the team had gone to Seychelles with regard to investigations pertaining to 231 kilogrammes of heroin that was detected and seized in Beruwala on 18 December by the PNB based on a tip-off received by the Special Task Force (STF).
It was also reported that a racket where heroin is brought to Sri Lanka by boat from Pakistan and then taken to Seychelles hidden in fishing boats had come to light during the investigations.
A statement from the Seychelles’ Anti-Narcotics Bureau confirmed the arrival of the Sri Lankan Officials, but it made no mention of the reported seizure and of reports that the drugs were destined for Seychelles – a group of 115 islands in the Western Indian Ocean.
Drug trafficking into Seychelles from foreign countries has been a problem in recent months, but there have been no reports of drugs being intercepted from Sri Lankan nationals or fishing vessels.
However only last year, there were three incidents of illegal fishing by Sri Lankan-flagged vessels in the waters of Seychelles.
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