Three persons were sentenced to one-year imprisonment by Galle Chief Magistrate Nishantha Peiris for attempting to smuggle 54 persons to Australia.
The convicted were Abuhan Mohamed Faizer, Thanabalasingham Kulasinham and Shiran Chintaka Lakmal.
They were indicted under clause 45 (c) of the Emigration and Immigration Act for smuggling 54 persons on a multi-day fishing trawler on September 6, 2012.
The officers of Southern Naval Base Dhakshina had apprehended the 54 illegal immigrants on board a fishing trawler about 10 nautical miles off the Galle Harbour and were handed over to the Criminal Investigation Department.
The respondents had gathered people from various regions of the country and collected money from them to settle them in Australia. The illegal immigrants. including men, women and children, were later released on bail.
Add new comment