Sri Lankan crew remanded until trial in record 350kg drug bust case

The Criminal Court today ordered the detention of five Sri Lankan men until the conclusion of their trial in connection with the seizure of 350 kilograms of illicit drugs from a Sri Lankan vessel intercepted in Maldivian waters last week.

The Maldives Police Service previously reported that over 350 kilograms of narcotics were found when the fishing vessel named "Avishka Putha," which had illegally entered the Maldives' Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), was searched yesterday under a court order.

This seizure marks the largest quantity of narcotics intercepted in Maldivian territory in recent history. Five Sri Lankan crew members connected to the case have appeared before the Criminal Court, where all denied the charges during their detention hearing.

The court notes that the crime likely involved a network of multiple individuals, leading to the decision to detain all five suspects until the trial concludes.

The five Sri Lankan nationals remanded in custody are:

1.      K. N. I. Peiris, 39

2.      Singappulige Nimal Ranjith Kisantha Fernando, 63

3.      Warnakulasuriya Nishantha Thamel, 34

4.      Mihidukulasuriya Andarage Amila Nuwan Livera, 42

5.      Warnakulasuriya Oshen Sachintha Fernando, 28

Sri Lankan media has also reported that a special team from Sri Lanka has arrived in the Maldives to assist with the investigation into the seized vessel and the drugs.

The Maldives Police Service stated that the investigation involves the cooperation of the Maldivian Police and Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF), as well as the Sri Lankan Police and Sri Lankan Navy.