In a sensational drug bust that has rocked the coastal belt, authorities have seized over 900 kilos of Kerala ganja — along with a chilling surprise: foreign-made firearms, marking a dangerous new turn in cross-border narcotics crime.
The joint operation, carried out in the early hours of Wednesday by the Navy, Coast Guard, and Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB), targeted a suspicious vehicle near Bolawatta in Wennappuwa. What they found left even hardened officers stunned — a stash worth over Rs. 202 million stuffed inside a cab, along with two sleek imported pistols, four magazines, and 40 rounds of live ammunition.
“This is the first time we’ve encountered weapons in a Kerala ganja operation,” a senior Navy officer told reporters, visibly disturbed by the escalation. “This isn’t just drug running anymore — it’s armed trafficking.”
Two men, aged 44 and 51, were caught red-handed at the scene. Acting on intel squeezed from the pair, officers swooped in on a second suspect and seized another vehicle believed to be linked to the smuggling ring. All three men hail from Anuradhapura’s underbelly — Ulukkulama, Pothanegama, Nochchiyagama, and Ihalagama — areas now under scrutiny for ties to the growing narco network. But it’s the guns that have alarmed law enforcement the most.
“These criminals are gearing up for war,” said an officer involved in the raid. “Smugglers never used to carry firearms. Now, they’re arming themselves, and that changes everything — for us and for public safety.”
Authorities are now probing whether the firearms were smuggled along with the cannabis from across the Palk Strait, or sourced via a local black market. Intelligence units are on high alert for any signs of foreign cartel involvement.
The entire haul — including the narcotics, pistols, ammo, and vehicles — has been handed over to the PNB for legal action, as detectives unravel what could be just the tip of a much deadlier iceberg.
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