‘PNB alert prompted thorough inspection’
The whole process of countering narcotics smuggling attempts is under a cloud in the wake of the National Dangerous Drugs Control Board (NDDCB) declaration that 17 out of 20 samples taken from a container found in Middeniya contained Crystal Methamphetamine, commonly known as “Ice.
Sources said that altogether two containers had been released by the Customs after they were subjected to comprehensive inspection, using state-of-the art equipment provided by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). They arrived here in December, 2024, from Iran, and released in January 2025.
Responding to The Island queries, a senior official said that the Customs had subjected the two containers to what he called the highest level examination in the presence of a team from the Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) and had not come across anything suspicious.
The official emphasised that the examination had been carried out on a specific request made by the PNB and the NDDCB declaration underscored the need for a fresh and wider investigation. “We are unable to explain how UN supplied equipment, used by many countries in different parts of the world, failed to detect Crystal Methamphetamine,” the official said, adding that the quality of equipment couldn’t be questioned.
Asked whether the two containers had been among the 323 containers released in January this year that triggered accusations of possible NPP involvement in nefarious activities, the official said they were not. Among the 323 containers were many labelled red meant for mandatory checks. However, the containers in question were labelled green and were to be released without examination, the official said. “If not for the intervention made by the PNB, the two containers wouldn’t have been checked,” he said.
The UNODC, through its Passenger and Cargo Control Programme (PCCP), has provided vital training for Sri Lanka officers in anti-smuggling operations of illicit drugs and precursor to trafficking in Colombo.
By Shamindra Ferdinando