THOOTHUKUDI: The six Sri Lankan fishermen accused of smuggling 100 kg contraband substance heroin were produced before Judicial Magistrate who remanded them till December 4 and imprisoned at Madurai Central Jail in the wee hours of Saturday.
The Indian Coast Guards apprehended the fishermen on November 25 during a nine-day anti-smuggling operation and seized 99 packets of heroin, 20 small boxes of synthetic drugs, five 9mm pistols, a Thuraya satellite phone set and the mechanised fishing vessel used for the crime.
The accused were identified as J Neenthu Kulasuriya (40), J Vanakula Suriya Jeevan (30), N Sameera (32), J Varnakula Suriya (29), S Nishanth (46) and A Lakshmana Kumar (37)- all belong to Neerkolumbu of Sri Lanka.
ICGS personnel escorted them to Thoothukudi VOC Port for inquiry. They were interrogated by multiple agencies including narcotics control bureau and intelligence units. A case has been booked against the six at Narcotics control bureau for further investigation.
Sources privy to the investigation said that the six Lankan fishermen had sourced illegal drugs from traffickers belong to Golden Cresent region in the high seas off Pakistan, and were on the way to Australia. However, the mechanised vessel they were sailing ran out of fuel at the Indian Ocean and drifted towards Indian waters near Kanyakumari, where they were apprehended by the Indian Navy.
Following interrogation, the six were taken for a medical check-up at Thoothukudi medical college hospital and produced before second Judicial Magistrate Umadevi. The magistrate remanded them under judicial custody for seven days until December 4 and imprisoned at Madurai Central Jail.