Sandalwood drugs case: Casinos owned by Kannadigas in Sri Lanka under scanner

Team Udayavani, Sep 14, 2020, 11:46 AM IST

Bengaluru: The investigation into the Sandalwood drugs case has revealed that drug was exported to Sri Lanka from the southern Indian States, including Karnataka.

In addition, officials have found that there are casinos owned by Bengaluru-based businessmen in Sri Lanka.

Sources said that the State’s Home Department, taking this revelation seriously, has directed officials of the Department’s Internal Security Division (ISD) and Intelligence to investigate the international drug cartel involved here.

It is often reported that drugs are smuggled into India from Nigeria and other countries of Africa.

According to officials, drugs entering Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana from are now also being smuggled to Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia and other the South East Asian countries.

Intelligence sources have also confirmed that many drugs to Sri Lanka are being smuggled out of the southern States. Sources said that this was well known but not disclosed.

As the investigation into the Sandalwood drugs case has unfolded this new information, investigations are beginning to take place from a different perspective. Not only the Bengaluru Police but also Enforcement Directorate, Central and State Intelligence Departments, Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and the Internal Security Division (ISD) are now involved in the overall investigation.

The drugs network that supplies the drugs is large hence impossible to ascertain which individuals were behind the movement of the drugs. The modus operandi of theses networks is such that one team in the network would not know the identity of the members in another team. Generally, at least 6-8 teams work to supply drugs from Bengaluru to Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala.

According to State police sources, there are three casino establishments in Sri Lanka owned, in partnership, by wealthy individuals in Bengaluru. Many people from the city are working in these casinos. Drugs are being supplied to the casinos from the southern Indian States.