Navy Intelligence busts a major Human Smuggling Racket: Foils another Illegal Australia Entry Attempt

In a well-coordinated Naval intelligence operation carried out on 14th August 2010, Naval Intelligence personnel foiled another major human smuggling racket. They arrested five (05) persons involved who had been plotting to flee the country seeking illegal entry into Australia.

The vigilant Naval personnel on information received were able to track down the suspects who had been hiding at a resort hotel in Marawila. During the preliminary interrogations, it was revealed that they were attempting to leave for Australia by a multi-day fishing trawler. Among the arrested was the person who had planned the whole smuggling operation with the assistance of an undercover human smuggling network that preys on innocent civilians who easily fall victims to false promises of lucrative jobs overseas.

The arrested persons are residents of Chillaw, Gampaha, Ganemulla, Mahawa and Marawila and had paid large sums of money to enter Australia illegally.

Last year too, the Navy busted a major human smuggling racket which attempted to smuggle over one hundred and fifty persons out of the country by illegal means. The Navy, in coordination with Sri Lanka Police, is conducting an extensive investigation into the latest incident in order to arrest the main operatives of the latest human smuggling racket.