CHENNAI: The increasing hostility between the Tamil rebels and the armed forces in Sri Lanka seems to be forcing heroin smugglers to the island-nation to once again use places near the Tiruchendur/Tuticorin coast, according to intelligence received by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and going by seizures. Investigation also reveals that of late, drugs smuggled from north India are being handed over in Pune.

NCB south zonal Director Shankar Jiwal told The Hindu here that till 2002, the preferred destination for smugglers to send the consignments to Sri Lanka was areas near Tuticorin. The situation changed from 2003 when they started using the Rameswaram coast.

From the last quarter of 2005, besides Rameswaram, spots near Tiruchendur and Tuticorin were also being used. This was because the smugglers did not want the consignment to land on the Mannar coast, which was nearer to reach from Rameswaram, given the present situation on the island.

Different destination

Even in the case relating to the latest major seizure of 15.6 kg of heroin at Ramanathapuram, the drug was to be smuggled to the Kalpitiya coast in Sri Lanka, instead of Mannar. To reach the destination, the contraband would have had to travel further south of Rameswaram towards Tuticorin coast.

In another case of seizure of three kg of heroin recently, the drug was brought from Mumbai to Thiruvananthapuram for onward smuggling to Sri Lanka by boat from Tuticorin.

A joint operation by the NCB and the Coast Guard in February this year resulted in the interception of a Sri Lankan fishing boat off Tiruchendur coast and seizure of 6.950 kg of heroin.

Mr. Jiwal said one of the two arrested in connection with the Ramanathapuram seizure, a Sri Lankan, is strongly suspected to have sent heroin to Sri Lanka a couple of times in the past from Rameswaram and Tuticorin coasts. Instead of Karnataka or Tamil Nadu, Pune was selected by the operatives to hand over the drug to be brought to south India in two cases, including the one pertaining to the seizure at Ramanathapuram.

Interestingly, in the Ramanathapuram seizure case, a fisherman of Ramanathapuram, who was also arrested, had allegedly purchased a boat a few days prior to the smuggling attempt, with money given by the smugglers, the director said.

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