Kalpitiya Police bust smuggling of sea cucumbers, shark fins
Text & pix by Padma Kumarai Kankanamge in Kalpitiya
Kalpitiya Police have busted a large scale smuggling of sea cucumbers between India and Sri Lanka. The racket, centred in the seas off Kalpitiya, came to light following a police raid in the Karamba area in Puttalam on February 13.
The raid netted 523 kg normal size sea cucumbers, 165 kg small sea cucumbers, 625 kg shark fins and 10 kg fish stomachs.
Three Indian nationals staying in the country on tourist visas, were arrested along with the haul.
Export of shark fins and sea cucumbers is banned in India. According to police, the first stage of the racket involves smuggling these items via sea to Sri Lanka. Under the second stage, they are mixed with products in Sri Lanka, before being re-exported.
K al pi ti ya Police OIC, Lakshman Ranwalaarachchi said there is a large demand for sea cucumbers in China, Japan and Singapore, where they are a delicacy. There is also a high demand for shark fins.
“In India, sea cucumbers and sharks are protected species and cannot be exported. As such, certain companies in Sri Lanka, which import sea cucumbers, purchase Indian products at low prices and export them under the Sri Lanka label, both legally and illegally. They use this modus operandi to meet the demand and to make high profits.
"This results in heavy losses in taxes to the country," the OIC said, adding that, it also undermines the quality of the local products.