The Sri Lankan Navy and the Coast Guard will receive high tech equipment to combat the narcotic trade in the high seas surrounding the country, a senior official of the Ministry of Defence said yesterday.
He said the equipment will be mostly from India, US, Australia, China and Japan and other friendly countries and would reach Sri Lanka soon. This highly sophisticated equipment is expensive, but accurate and it is hoped that friendly countries would help out.
It could also reduce the manpower on the naval craft, he said. He, however, refused to describe the nature of the equipment.
He said that Sri Lanka, owing to its limited number of craft is facing an uphill task in combatting narco traders and this has turned the Palk Straits and other places into a narcotic hub with local and international agents playing a major role.
The Navy, this year alone, has recovered 317.540 kgs of heroin, 1,963.59 kgs of Kerala Cannabis, 44.630 kgs of local Cannabis, 4.670 kgs of Ice, 107.479 kgs of Hashish and 0.094 kilos of Cocaine, he said.