Monday
18th Nov 2024
Dhivehi Edition
A Sri Lankan national, suspected to be a drug kingpin, has been arrested in Dubai.
The individual is suspected of having trafficked large amounts of drugs to several nations, including the Maldives. Nadun Chinthaka Wickramaratne was arrested in Dubai airport, on route to Malaysia, accompanied by a woman who identifies as his spouse.
The arrest was made with the collaboration of various international police agencies and Sri Lanka’s Narcotics Bureau.
Another individual, identified as Gil, was also arrested. Sri Lankan papers were not given additional details on this individual.
The papers report that Wickramaratne had entered Dubai on a forged passport. He was arrested after Narcotics Bureau of Sri Lanka, international Police forces had tailed him for over a month.
It is also reported that he had traveled extensively on the forged passport. Maldives was marked as the last destination he had visited. Sources have reported to the investigation that he has been working to gain asylum in France.
Wickramaratne is known to have headed the drug ring that distributed drug to Malaysia, Singapore, Seychelles, and the Maldives.
Media reports have also revealed that Wickramaratne is to be extradited to Sri Lanka for his trial. Sri Lankan authorities also allege that Wickramaratne is behind around 20 shootings in the country.