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| Sunday, 16 May 2004 |
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Drug trafficking goes on unabated by Anton Nonis Large quantities of heroin continue to be smuggled into the country despite stringent measures by the police to curb the menace. According to Director of Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB), SSP Pujith Jayasundara, several kilos of heroin are smuggled into the country every month. He attributed the lack of co-operation by the general public and other relevant organisations as the main cause for this continued trafficking. Investigations have revealed that a lower grade of heroin by the street name `brown sugar' is the most frequently smuggled drug. According to SSP Jayasundara, brown sugar which is cheaper than the refined white, is regularly smuggled into Sri Lanka from South India. However, the white variety has also been detected in the country at times and is said to be trafficked from Pakistan and Afghanistan. The PNB has found that narcotics are smuggled into the country by air and by sea. The PNB has a sub unit established at the Colombo airport to check smugglings via flights. Police have found that often small quantities were smuggled through the airport and larger quantities smuggled in by boats. SSP Jayasundara said that the narcotic business was well organised and the network covers both India and Sri Lanka. PNB records have shown that upto now, more than 20 kilos of the brown sugar had been smuggled into the country. Of this, nearly 15 kilos have been smuggled on two occasions to the same area, Chilaw. Already five suspects are in custody. More are to be arrested, PNB sleuths said. The street value of a kilo of the `brown sugar' is said to be Rs. 2.5 million. SSP Jayasundara said that the heroin available for sale locally were often adulterated though the material obtained from India was unadulterated. The traffickers adulterate the drug before it reaches the market. Drug dealers are reported to be mixing powdered ingredients like flour, ground brick and other similar material. Though the practice of adulteration is mainly to increase profit, it reduces the strength of the quality of the narcotic lowering the effect on the person's nerve system, police said. SSP Jayasundara said they have decided to create sub-units in areas like Chilaw, Negombo, Hikkaduwa, Mannar, Colombo port, and Trincomalee to enhance the scope of detection. He said discussions are being held with the Air Force to establish air surveillance in the sea area to cover the Palk Strait in a bid to curb drug trafficking. The PNB will import metal detectors shortly as a modernised method to curb the menace, the SSP said. |
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