Accordingly, a group of naval personnel attached to the North Central Naval Command, whilst conducting a search between sandbanks 05 and 07 in Talaimannar found 13 packages containing 717.82kg of beedi leaves, floating in the sea. The stock of beedi leaves was handed over to the Jaffna Customs for onward investigation.
Meanwhile, continuous naval operations prevented a number of smuggling attempts of beedi leaves during the past couple of days. Further, the Navy also apprehended 05 beedi leaf smugglers during a search carried out at the Thalpadu beach on 21st July 2019. Besides, the Navy being a force playing a pivotal role in curbing illegal activities around the clock, had seized over 24,500kg of beedi leaves thus far in year 2019.