Three Indians arrested with 1,000kg of Beedi leaves

November 12, 2019   06:24 pm

Three Indian nationals have been apprehended with a large consignment of Beedi leaves during a joint operation conducted by the Sri Lanka Navy and Coast Guard in the seas northwest of the island.

Having spotted a suspicious fishing dhow in the seas off Kudiramalai, Kalpitiya by the Navy, a Sri Lanka Coast Guard Ship patrolling in north-western seas had been directed to intercept the suspicious dhow. 

After approaching the suspected vessel, it was identified as an Indian dhow trespassing on Sri Lankan territorial waters. During further search, approximately 1,000kg of beedi leaves in 33 packages had been recovered and 3 Indian fishers aboard were subsequently taken into custody.
 
The suspects are at the age of 26. It is believed that the suspects have attempted to smuggle the consignment to the country by boat to hand over it to smugglers operating in the country. 

The suspects along with the stock of beedi leaves will be handed over to the Colombo Customs for onward investigation. 

Meanwhile, the Indian fishing dhow was escorted to the naval base SLNS ‘Vijaya’ for further investigation. 
 
This year alone, the Navy has recovered nearly 50 tons of beedi leaves from operations carried out at sea and on the shore.

Disclaimer: All the comments will be moderated by the AD editorial. Abstain from posting comments that are obscene, defamatory or slanderous. Please avoid outside hyperlinks inside the comment and avoid typing all capitalized comments. Help us delete comments that do not follow these guidelines by flagging them(mouse over a comment and click the flag icon on the right side). Do use these forums to voice your opinions and create healthy discourse.

Most Viewed Video Stories

🔴LIVE | Ada Derana Midday Prime News Bulletin - 2025.07.11

🔴LIVE | Ada Derana Midday Prime News Bulletin - 2025.07.11

Trump Tariff: Exports volume will reduce but real challenge is rates of Sri Lanka's competitors – expert (English)

Sri Lanka govt not considering retaliatory measures over Trump's tariff - Presidential Advisor (English)

Sri Lanka's opposition reacts to Trump's announcement on 30% trade tariff (English)

Ceylon Chamber urges continued engagement to secure further US tariff reduction (English)

Trump slashes tariff rate on Sri Lanka to 30% from 44% - But govt, private sector seeks further reduction

LIVE🔴Ada Derana Prime Time News Bulletin 6.55 pm

LIVE🔴 Ada Derana Lunch Time News Bulletin 12.00 pm