Tamil Nadu: Drug Smuggling Being Used To Revive LTTE; NIA Arrests Nine

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested nine persons from the special camp for Sri Lankan refugees in Tiruchirapalli.

All of them are allegedly hand in glove with Haji Salim, a Pakistan based drug-runner and aim to revive the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a terrorist organization using the proceeds of crime.

Among the nine arrested, C Gunashekharan alias Guna and Pushparajah alias Pookutti Anna are considered to be the masterminds of the operations of the network in Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka.

The others are Mohammad Asmin, Alahapperumaga Sunil Ghamini Fonseaa Stanly Kennady Fernando, Ladiya, Dhanukka Roshan, Vella Suranka alias Gamage Suranga Pradeep, and Thilipan alias Dileepan.

Except for Asmin, all others arrested have Sri Lankan addresses.

The arrests have been made in connection with a case registered by the NIA in July 2022 to investigate the smuggling of drugs from Pakistan to Sri Lanka via sea route.

In March 2021, near Kerala’s Vizhinjm port, the Indian defense forces had intercepted a boat that contained 300 kg of heroin, five AK-47 machine guns, and 1,000 rounds of 9 mm bullets.

Recently, 360 crore worth of cocaine was seized from Keezhakarai Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) councillor Sarbraz Nawaz and his brother. They had planned to smuggle it to Sri Lanka through a fishing boat.

According to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president K Annamalai, the menace of drug addiction has risen under the rule of the DMK. Few days back a BJP worker in Chengalpattu was severely thrashed for exposing the sale of ganja.