Five caught in Bangladesh over biggest drug haul in Sri Lanka
(FASTNEWS|COLOMBO) – Five people have been arrested in Bangladesh over their suspected involvement in the biggest drug haul in Sri Lanka’s history.
The suspects were detained in separate raids on Monday (28), said Rapid Action Battalion Spokesperson, Mohammad Mufti Mahmud Khan.
The Elite Police Unit is yet to disclose the identities of the suspects – three women and two men – who are accused of being involved in “An international drug racket.”
The Rapid Action Battalion will hold a briefing later on Tuesday (29) to discuss details of its operation.
On 31 December, Sri Lankan Police seized 272 kilograms of heroin and five kilograms of cocaine during a special operation at a housing complex in Templers Road at Colombo’s Mount Lavinia. The haul is worth Bangladeshi Taka 1.52 billion.
Two Bangladeshis caught in the operation were Mohammed Jamaluddin of Bogura and Rafiul Islam of Joypurhat. The two had arrived in Sri Lanka on 23 December, according to Sri Lankan Police.
Earlier, on 14 December, two suspects were arrested in Nugegoda, a suburb in Colombo, with one kilogram of heroin hidden in a cake box, Superintendent of Police (SP) Ruwan Gunasekara stated.
“One of the suspects had a remote controller for a roller gate and other keys. We found that the keys belonged to a two-storey house on Kawdana Road, Dehiwala [Mount Lavinia].”
On 15 December, a Bangladeshi woman called ‘Surjamoni’ was arrested with another cake box of heroin. A Police search in the building she rented, led to the discovery of 31 kilograms of heroin.
The hauls caused a sensation and led to the New Year ‘s evening raid at Mount Lavinia, conducted jointly by Sri Lanka’s Police Narcotic Bureau (PNB) and the Special Task Force (STF).
During the raid, packets, containers and luggage items filled with heroin were found everywhere in the house, said SP Gunasekara.
“The safe-house had been used to weigh and repack expired drugs. We believe the drugs were transported by sea and air.”
The Sri Lankan Government sought Bangladesh’s assistance in the investigation. Bangladesh High Commissioner M. Riaz Hamidullah then assured Colombo of full cooperation.
On 05 January, Bangladesh’s Department of Narcotics Control detained one ‘Choice Rahman’ from a house at Dhaka’s Uttara. Rahman was named in a case by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) filed at Uttara West Police Station.
Later, the arrests of three women suspects, based on information provided by law enforcers in Colombo, were reported in media. They allegedly played roles in smuggling the drugs into Colombo.