The Island / ANN 

While the entire world is engulfed in the Covid-19 fear, the Sri Lankan Government, which is taking all possible precautionary measures to contain the virus, has taken serious measures to combat drug trafficking, terrorism and extremism, to maintain national security, Defence Secretary Maj. Gen. (Retd.) Kamal Gunaratne, said.

He said the military and Police personnel were deployed, countrywide, to maintain law and order, to restrict people’s movement to contain the highly contagious virus and also to be on alert to other security threats.

 “Sri Lanka’s Tri-Forces, Police and other security agencies are kept on high alert on other security threats while they have been tasked to support the Government’s mechanism to control the spreading of Covid-19,” the Defence Secretary, who visited the Sri Lanka Navy’s (SLN), Dikowita harbour, where the country’s largest ever drug bust, worth of Rs. 12,500 million, in international waters, six-days ago, was brought ashore and displayed on April 1, Maj. Gen. Gunaratne said.

The SLN’s Offshore Patrol Vessel SLNS ‘Sayura’ took into custody a total of 1184.9kilos of drugs, including 605.4 kilos of Crystal Methamphetamine (ICE), 579.5 kilos of Ketamine, 200 packets of babul, and another 100 grams of unidentified pills from an intercepted large foreign vessel.

 The Defence Secretary said the SLN’s detection of the large consignment was the best example to show that the Government had not neglected its responsibility to protect the country while fighting against Covid-19.

“The national security is the top priority of the Government. The SLN had ventured far out, 463 nautical miles (835km) off of country’s Southern coast, to carry out the detection, while bearing the risk of Covid-19 infection as there were nine Pakistani drug smugglers, part of an organised drug smuggling network were in the vessel, which had no State flag,” he said.

Commending the efforts and commitment taken by the SLN Commander, Vice Admiral Piyal de Silva and his men to nab local and international drug traffickers, Maj. Gen. Gunaratne said all intelligence agencies, including the military intelligence, were also kept on high alert to face any possible security threat, including re-grouping of certain elements involved in terrorism and extremism.