839kg drug haul found floating off southern coast

A major drug haul weighing 839 kilograms has been recovered after 51 packages were found floating in the sea off Sri Lanka’s southern coast.

According to the Sri Lanka Navy, the packages contained crystal methamphetamine (‘ice’), heroin, and hashish. Naval personnel discovered the floating parcels during a routine patrol and carried out a recovery operation before bringing them to the Tangalle Fisheries Harbour yesterday (October 14).

Police confirmed that the consignment included 670 kilograms of ice, 156 kilograms of heroin, and about 12 kilograms of hashish.

Naval sources said the stock of narcotics is suspected to belong to a well-known drug trafficker identified as ‘Unakuruwe Shantha’. Investigations are ongoing to determine how the drugs ended up floating in the sea and to trace those responsible for the smuggling attempt.