Lankan drug trafficker nabbed in Vedaranyam

Sleuths of the ‘Q’ branch arrested four persons, one of them a Lankan national, in Vedaranyam for attempting to smuggle 1.5 kg of narcotics to Sri Lanka. On suspicion based on a tip-off, sleuths conducted an intensive check at Vedaranyam, took the four into custody and conducted an inquiry. The four made contradictory statements and the police took them to Thanjavur office to question them further.

It came to light that the four — Suriya Gandhi, Muruganandam, Senthilkumar, all hailing from Thoppukarai in Vedaranyam, and Madhan, a Sri Lankan national — had planned to smuggle the narcotics into Sri Lanka. The seized drugs were worth Rs. 3 crore in the grey market.

All four accused were produced before the Ju-

Of late, smuggling of drugs and gold biscuits to and from Sri Lanka had become common in this coastal town just 28 km from Jaffna

dicial Magistrate’s Court in Vedaranyam on Wednesday and were remanded to judicial custody. Of late, smuggling drugs and gold biscuits to and from neighbouring Sri Lanka had become common in this coastal town just 28 km from Jaffna. On November 14, the police seized 785 grams of narcotics, worth Rs. 1 crore, from a house and arrested Albert Cruz, a Sri Lankan living at Therku Sethakudi, near Kodiakadu. In another incident, two persons were arrested when they attempted to smuggle about 20 kg of gold biscuits out of Sri Lanka. A 45-year-old woman, also from Sri Lanka, was recently taken into custody by the Tiruchy customs officials while trying to out smuggle 1.2 kg of gold bars.