COLOMBO, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Sri Lanka Navy has arrested nearly 300 people, seized 53 vessels and confiscated narcotics worth more than 55 billion Sri Lankan rupees (about 166.7 million U.S. dollars) in anti-drug operations so far this year, a senior navy official said Friday.
Chaminda Karunasena, acting director general operations of the Sri Lanka Navy, said the operations were carried out between Jan. 1 and Sept. 24 through land- and sea-based surveillance.
Karunasena said the narcotics seized included more than 1,080 kg of heroin, over 590 kg of crystal methamphetamine, more than 256 kg of cocaine and over 862 kg of cannabis.
He said about 800 kg of cannabis were seized in the Gurunagar lagoon area on Sept. 24 alone.
The Navy also seized more than 4 million narcotic tablets, over 1 kg of hashish and more than 55 metric tons of kendu leaves during the period, Karunasena said. ■
