Courtesy The Daily Mirror

Five fishermen who trafficked 151.341 kilos of heroin on 2nd November 2019 were sentenced to death on three charges by the Colombo High Court today.

The suspects were sentenced to death after a long trial by Colombo High Court Judge Namal Ballale, observing that the prosecution case against the five accused were proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

The five convicts Chaminda Rohana Fernando, Anton Susantha Fernando, Dulag Ravindra Perera,Liyanadurage Surange and Tharindu Jayamal Fernando who were residents of Kattuwa Negombo were sentenced to death by High Court Judge Namal Ballale.

They were sentenced to death on three charges of conspiracy, trafficking and peddling 151 .341kilos of heroin in the southern High seas of Sri Lanka on 2nd November 2019 by a Multi-Day Trawler.

The detection was made by the Sri Lanka Navy during their patrol duty in the southern High Seas of Sri Lanka and following the arrest of the suspects with contraband and were handed over to the Police Narcotic Bureau for further investigations.

The Bureau on concluding their investigations the Attorney General indicted the convicts in the Colombo High Court.

During the hearing State Counsel Oswald Lakmina Perera prosecuted while Senior Counsel Jagath Abeynayake defended the 1st accused, Senior Counsel Ranjan Silva defended the 2, 4 and 5th accused. Counsel Pradeepa Kaluarachchi defended the 3rd accused.(T .Farook Thajudeen)