DETECTION OF HEROIN INCREASES

It has become a gigantic task to stem the flow of heroin across the
Palk Strait mainly due to less patrolling of seas both by the Sri
Lankan and the Indian authorities specially after cessation of
hostilities between the government and the LTTE.

In the meantime it has been observed that there is a surge in heroin
being smuggled into the country by organised groups. Large quantities
of heroin with a street value of over Rs. 500 millions have been
detected by the Marunnkan and the Talaimannar Police last week. In
fact the second biggest haul of heroin i.e 11 kilos this year was
detected at Anguruwatota last week.

The latest haul of heroin was detected at the Murunkan security
check-point last Wednesday. It all happened when a refrigerated lorry
that transported fish to Colombo was intercepted by police officers
manning the check-point.

Of course, the police had prior information that three persons were
involved in transporting heroin to Thoduwawa. When the lorry halted,
two policemen boarded the lorry and began a thorough search and found
several crates of fish in the refrigerated section. Painstakingly they
searched each crate and found to their expectation two large parcels
concealed among the fish.

The parcels were opened and found brown sugar variety of heroin. The
consignment weighed 3 kilos and 465g with a street value of over Rs. 6
million. The driver along with two persons were taken into custody and
taken before the Mannar Magistrate who remanded them till completion
of investigations.

Further inquiries are being made by OIC Murunkan, Inspector N. Chandra
Kumara to ascertain the total quantity of heroin smuggled to Sri Lanka
during the past few weeks. Police believe that part of the heroin
detected by the Talaimannar police last week when they found a man
travelling in a bus bound to Colombo with 4 kilos and 200 grams of
heroin. The heroin was found in a travelling bag wrapped in two parcels.

In fact an Indian national from Kerala was detected last month at the
BIA smuggling 386.87 grams of heroin. A regular visitor to Sri Lanka.
The Indian national had visited Sri Lanka four times this year alone.
The suspect had arrived from Chennai after swallowing 86 condoms
filled with heroin. He was taken before Court and a order was made by
the Magistrate to extract the heroin under medical care. A similar
detection was made at the BIA in 2000 when a man who had swallowed 400
grams of heroin was detected.

For the first time in Sri Lanka an Inspector from the Police Narcotics
Bureau (PNB) detected 15 Ecstasy tablets worth Rs. 37,500 in the
possession of a barber employed at a plush saloon in Colombo 7. The
tablets had been imported from Thailand.

The inspector who befriended the barber posed off as playboy
businessman who was in need of the drug to pursue his hedonistic
pleasures. The inspector had queried from the barber whether he could
purchase 1,000 ecstasy tablets but the later informed him, that he was
unable to do so.

Meantime the barber agreed to bring 50 tablets but turned up with only
15 tablets at a restaurant in Colombo. After handing him over the
tablets the inspector divulged his identity and arrested the suspect.
Ecstasy tablet known as the 'date rape' drug in the west produces a
bust of energy and paranoia. The drug is used by affluent male youths
to drug their female counterparts especially at functions.

According to Police Narcotics Bureau Director, SSP Pujitha Jayasundera
the drug problem has created a social and an economical instability.
Drug trafficking is linked to organised crime, transnational crime,
money laundering and drug related crime in Sri Lanka. Cannabis was the
only dangerous drug found in Sri Lanka although it has not created
social problems when compared to heroin.

However due to lack of resources law enforcement authorities have not
been able to curb illicit cultivation of Cannabis, he said.

The total quantity of 54 KG and 17 grams of heroin was seized in 2003
when compared to 62 kg and 545 grams seized in 2002. A colossal amount
of heroin amounting to 76 kg destined to Sri Lanka was seized in India
in 2003. Had this quantity been undetected in India the chances of
seizing them over here would have been a challenge to the Police
Narcotics Bureau.