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Sri Lanka partners with Pakistan to tackle drug trafficking

Xinhua, March 19, 2015 Adjust font size:

Sri Lanka's government has pledged deeper cooperation with its Pakistani counterpart to tackle drug trafficking, an official said here on Thursday.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will be reached to by the two countries to combat the problem, which has increased over the past year.

"We came into power pledging to wipe out the drug menace and arrests of drug possession has increased over the past two months, " Cabinet spokesman and Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne told reporters.

Fresh crackdowns have taken place over the last few weeks with key members of the former government also accused to links to drug trade, the minister pointed out.

Last year over 200 kg of heroine was detected by law enforcement authorities in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka's government earlier expressed fear the island is becoming a trans-shipment hub for drugs after police records revealed that 53,000 people had been arrested for drug offenses in 2013.

In 2011, the National Dangerous Drugs Control Board warned that the country was under increasing threat from drug smuggling in its annual report. Endi