By D.G. Sugathapala   

Sub Inspector of the Kalutara South Police and two others who had been questioned under detention since June 19 on suspicion of drug trafficking, were yesterday produced before Galle Chief Magistrate Harshana Kekunawela and remanded till July 08.   

The suspects were SI T. Sanath Kumara De Silva of Potupitiya in Wadduwa, Ramiah Sanmuganathan of Colombo 15 and Yogarajah Arulnath of Ekala in Jaela.   

The SI transporting a stock of 52.728 kilos of heroin by his motorcar from Hikkaduwa to Baddegama entry in the Southern Expressway on June 18 to travel to Athurugiriya to handover it to the other two suspects, had been arrested at Gonapinuwala by a police team of the Organised Crime Prevention Division that lay in ambush. The other two suspects had been arrested later at Athurugiriya exit.   

The Anti Narcotic Bureau reported to court that investigations of the incident were not yet complete and that it had received information on the suspect police officer’s involvement in the racket since a long time. Officers of the bureau moved that the suspect be further remanded and the Prison Superintendent be ordered to keep them separate from other detainees.   

They told Court that they suspected the involvement of an individual overseas in the racket and requested to order the relevant telecommunication companies to furnish the details of telephone conversations over ten cellular phones used by the suspects and seized during investigations. 

 
The lawyers appearing for the suspects submitted that the SI was a diabetic and requested to provide him adequate protection. They pointed out that the suspects had not been charged with any previous offense.   
 IP Ranaweera of the Colombo Anti-Narcotic Bureau made submissions for the State while Attorneys-at-Law Jaliya Samarasinghe and Pulasthi Silva appeared for the suspects. 

• The lawyers appearing for the suspects submitted that the SI was a diabetic and requested to provide him adequate protection