News
Navy, STF, PNB launch joint operation, seize haul of hell dust, arrest 10
By Norman Palihawadane
Over 300 kilos of heroin, with a street value of over Rs. 6000 million, were taken into custody by the Navy, STF commandos, and officers of the Police Narcotic Bureau (PNB) in seas off Hambantota.
They also took into custody 10 suspects, including a woman, a trawler, a fishing boat, and a dinghy during the joint operation conducted on Saturday night.
The drug-carrying trawler and the suspects were brought to the Galle Harbour yesterday morning.
Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral Nishantha Ulugetenne also visited the Galle Harbour to inspect the vessels.
The Navy spokesman said that the special operation had been mounted by the Offshore Patrol Vessel SLNS Wickrama II, based on a coordinated intelligence operation of the Navy Intelligence, the STF and PNB officers. The Navy’s sea unit deployed in this special mission intercepted a suspicious local fishing trawler in southern waters about 10 nautical miles (about 18km) off the Great Basses Reef Lighthouse.
A subsequent search led to the detection of 300 packages of the substance stuffed in 12 sacks concealed in the trawler. There were six suspects on board.
The narcotics weighed 331.11 kilos and had a street value of Rs 6,622.2 million, the Navy spokesman said.
A dinghy suspected to have been made ready to fetch the stock of narcotics from mid-sea was taken into custody and four suspects including a woman involved in the land-network of the drug racket were arrested in an operation mounted off Nillwella on Sunday.
PNB officers are conducting further operations in search of more suspects connected to the drug smuggling ring.
The suspects were identified as residents of Hambantota, Kottegoda, Dickwella and Mahamadala.
The haul of narcotics, multi-day fishing trawler, dinghy and 10 suspects will be handed over to the Police Narcotic Bureau for legal action, after those proceedings.
The post of Justice of the Peace will no longer be granted on political grounds, Minister of Justice and National Integration Harshana Nanayakkara said in Parliament on Friday (6).The Minister told the House that a mechanism had been introduced to receive complaints regarding Justices of the Peace (JP) and that an islandwide database of JPs was being developed to enable verification when certifying documents.
He said future appointments to the post would be limited to persons below the age of 75.
Nanayakkara said a system had also been introduced requiring bio-data updates every two years, along with certification through the Grama Niladhari Division – Sri Lanka and the Divisional Secretariat – Sri Lanka.
He added that contact channels, including a WhatsApp number, email address and telephone line, had been established to facilitate the reporting of any JP who commits an offence.
The Minister said authorities had not yet considered cancelling the appointments of existing Justices of the Peace en masse, noting that some had served in the role for five to ten years and had gained experience.
He said a committee had recommended the age ceiling, citing the need for appointees to possess adequate physical and mental capacity to comprehend and certify legal documents.
“I have not received any fair or justifiable reason to reconsider the age limit of 75 years,” he said.
The proposal to extend the State of Public Emergency was approved in the Parliament of Sri Lanka by a majority of 100 votes.
A total of 108 members voted in favour of the proposal, while eight opposition members voted against it on Friday evening.
Speaker Jagath Wickramanayake informed the House that the proposal submitted under Section 81 of the Public Security Act had been approved.
Meanwhile, the proposal under the Essential Public Services Act was also passed as presented.
Central Bank of Sri Lanka official reserve assets have surpassed the USD 7 billion mark for the first time since August 2020.
At the end of February 2026, total reserves stood at USD 7,284 million, a 6.6% increase from USD 6,832 million recorded in January.
Foreign exchange holdings accounted for the largest share of reserves, rising from USD 6,687 million in January to USD 7,057 million in February.
The Central Bank’s gold reserves also recorded a significant increase, rising 83.4% from USD 109 million to USD 200 million during the same period.
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