The Sri Lankan navy arrested a man in Point Pedro, Jaffna on Monday, accusing him of possessing at least 86 kg of cannabis, as the military launched a reported crackdown on illegal drugs.
The navy said that a 50-year-old man was concealing the cannabis on the roof at a home in Point Pedro and has since been handed over to the Sri Lankan police.
An official navy website added that over 509 kg of cannabis had been seized by the Sri Lankan navy in the last three weeks alone.
The latest arrest comes after Tamil UNP MP Vijayakala Maheswaran said last year that politicians from the South of the island were responsible for supplying the drugs in the North. On previous occasions, Sri Lankan soldiers have been caught smuggling drugs in the North-East.
Other Tamil politicians, including TNA MPs and the Chief Minister of the Northern Province, have also previously spoken out on drug smuggling in the North, and how rising drug use in the region is linked to militarisation and aimed at eradicating Tamil society.
