Sri Lanka’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has launched an investigation into unauthorized access to the Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) used by the Police Narcotics Bureau to track multi-day fishing vessels and boats suspected of transporting narcotics.
Police said the system had been accessed using 57 different IP addresses, raising serious concerns that sensitive operational data had been leaked to drug traffickers.
The VMS plays a critical role in monitoring fishing vessels suspected of smuggling large quantities of narcotics into the country. In recent years, information obtained through the system has enabled the Police Narcotics Bureau, with support from the Sri Lanka Navy, to seize several large drug consignments at sea.
Police said intelligence reports indicated that VMS data had been accessed not only by authorized investigators but also by individuals linked to narcotics networks, prompting an inquiry on the instructions of the Inspector General of Police.
Preliminary findings revealed that multiple individuals had logged into the system through 57 separate IP addresses to obtain sensitive information. Acting on these findings, investigations were initiated under the direction of Deputy Inspector General in charge of the Police Narcotics Bureau, Ashoka Dharmasena.
Authorities have since changed all access credentials to the VMS to prevent further unauthorized entry. The revised access details have been provided exclusively to the Deputy Inspector General and the Director of the bureau, police said. (Newswire)
