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Colombo, April 1 (newsin.asia) - Sri Lankan authorities, on Monday publicly destroyed 769 kilograms of cocaine, which the police had seized in island wide raids carried out during the past few years.
The heroin valued at over Rs.10 billion, was destroyed in the presence of President Maithripala Sirisena, government ministers, Police Chief Pujith Jayasundara, investigating police officers and the media, in a warehouse in Kelaniya, in the outskirts of capital Colombo.
Police officers first liquefied the cocaine, which was packed in more than two dozen sacks in front of two magistrates. It was then taken to be disposed in a cement factory, located in Puttalam, in north western Sri Lanka.
Speaking at the event, President Sirisena said this was the second time the government was publicly destroying all the drugs seized by the investigating officers in raids conducted throughout the country. In January 2018, the
President said authorities had publicly destroyed over 900 kilograms of cocaine, valued at over US 100 million dollars.
Sirisena said his aim was to free the future generations from drugs as Sri Lanka had become a transit hub for drug smugglers in Asia.
He said he would soon implement the death penalty on those convicted of drug smuggling and trafficking in a large scale.
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