9 Iranians remanded in Sri Lanka over smuggling bid

Colombo, March 29 (IANS) A Sri Lankan magistrate's court on Friday further remanded nine Iranian nationals who were arrested earlier this week for attempting to smuggle in 100 kg of heroin through the sea.The Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) told the court that investigations into the drug bust were continuing and they had received details that the suspects had loaded the drugs into the trawler, off the Pakistan coastline.The suspects were remanded till April 5, Xinhua news agency reported.The Iranian nationals were arrested last Sunday in the seas off Sri Lanka's southern coast following a joint raid conducted by the navy, Special Task Force and the PNB.Immediate investigations revealed that as the officers approached the suspects' trawler, they threw 50 kg of the heroin into the sea. Sri Lankan investigators have since January launched a severe crackdown on drug dealers and smugglers, with several arrests being made within the past two months.
--IANS soni/