Chennai, Dec 16 (BPNS)
The Tamil Nadu police is on high alert after some intelligence inputs of the possibility of drug syndicate using sea route for smuggling narcotic drugs to Sri Lanka.
It may be noted that the Indian Coast Guard had foiled a bid to smuggle beedi leaves (Coromondal Ebony) to Sri Lanka and six fishermen were arrested. The beedi leaves worth 2.5 crores were seized along with the mechanized boat used for smuggling it. This was also following the intelligence report on fishermen from Tamil Nadu being used as carriers.
The intelligence has also given inputs on the possibility of major drug smuggling possibility in the Tamil Nadu – Sri Lanka route and the Coastal police have stepped up an alert over the coastal areas of the state.
The Superintendent of Police of Thoothukudi has recently visited the fishermen and created awareness among them on the pitfalls of ganja or drug smuggling. Thoothukudi fishing harbour daily does business to the tune of around Rs 1 crore and more than 250 fishing vessels are plying in the harbour.
The recent seizure of ganja and other drugs from the fishing vessels worth lakhs of rupees was seized from Indian fishing vessels that are from Tamil Nadu.
After the arrest of a former top intelligence officer of the now defunct LTTE, Satnukam alias Sabesan from Chennai in October 2021 on charges of smuggling drugs and arms and raising funds for rejuvenating the organization, the intelligence has been on an alert in Tamil Nadu.
Sources in the agencies told BPNS that an alert is now issued for the coastal areas of Tamil Nadu and the state coastal police and the Indian Coast Guard are tracking any suspicious ships or mechanized boats in the sea around 40- 60 nautical miles from the shore. The focus is mainly on the Thoothukudi, Pudukottai, and Ramanathapuram areas of Tamil Nadu.
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