Five Sri Lankans on board a Sri Lankan fishing boat seized with more than 350 kilograms of drugs in Maldivian waters have been remanded in custody for the duration of the trial.
The five men were arrested on charges of trafficking drugs into the Maldives. The arrest warrant said the case is believed to have been carried out by a large criminal network.
Five people arrested and remanded in custody:
- K. N. I. Peiris, age 39.
- Singgapullige Nimal Ranjith, age 63.
- Varnakulasuriya Nishantha Tamel, age 34.
- Mihidukulasuriya Andarage Amil, age 42.
- Varnakulasuriya Oshen Sachintha, age 28.
Police said 24 sacks of suspected drugs weighing 355.9 kg were recovered from the Sri Lankan fishing vessel under a court order. The drugs found included 58.6 kg of heroin and 297.3 kg of methamphetamine.
Sri Lankan media reported that the fishing boat was located using an MNDF drone following intelligence provided by the Sri Lankan Navy.
Last year, 468 kilograms of drugs were seized from a fishing boat seized in Maldivian waters. It included 344 kg of crystal meth and 124 kg of cocaine.
