Sri Lankan authorities publicly dispose large haul of cocaine

COLOMBO, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lankan authorities on Monday publicly destroyed 928 kg of cocaine hydrochloride in the outskirts of the capital.

The drugs, which Sri Lankan Police Narcotics Bureau recently confiscated, were destroyed under the supervision of President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

This was the first time that authorities had publicly destroyed a large haul of cocaine.

The cocaine was liquefied in Katunayake in the outskirts of the capital, and will be later transported to a cement plant in Puttalam, in the North Western Province, to be further disposed.

Authorities said Continuous Emission Monitoring (CEM) will be carried out during and after the phase of the final disposal to ensure no harmful emissions are exposed to the environment. Enditem