Sri Lanka, Dec. 5 -- The Sri Lanka Navy has recovered a large consignment of foreign cigarettes and other contraband items during a special search operation carried out in the seas south of Delft, Jaffna, yesterday.

The operation was conducted by SLNS Wasaba, attached to the Northern Naval Command. During the patrol, naval personnel observed nine suspicious sacks floating in the sea.

Upon inspection, the sacks were found to contain around 160,000 foreign cigarettes, 150 packs of cosmetic products, and 10 wristwatches, suspected to have been smuggled into the country.

However, the items had been deliberately abandoned at sea, possibly due to increased naval surveillance in the area aimed at curbing illegal maritime activities.

The seiz...