Police arrested ten suspects with 160 kilos of methamphetamine ( commonly known as ICE) and 10 kilos of heroin at Nagoda, Galle, police spokesman DIG Nihal Thalduwa announced yesterday (21).

The street value of the drugs is estimated at 5 billion rupees (about 17 million U.S. dollars), the DIG said.

The arrests were made following a tip off to Matara Divisional Crimes Detection Bureau (DCDB), he said.”A few days ago, we received information that drugs had been brought into the country in a boat through the Gandara fishery fisheries harbour and despatched to Nagoda. We sent a team and arrested the suspects and seized the drugs,” he said

Acting IGP, Senior DIG Priyantha Weerasooriya inspected the drugs yesterday morning.

“This is the largest detection of drugs on land in recent times. More suspects, boats and vehicles used by drug smugglers too will be taken into custody soon. This detection is also important because this is the first such raid by a regional police division,” he said.