Sri Lanka, June 3 -- Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananda Wijepala said that 23 leading Sri Lankan drug traffickers residing overseas linked to the drug trafficking trade have been identified by the Sri Lankan authorities.

Speaking to the media in Colombo yesterday (2), the Minister stated that these notorious drug traffickers wanted by the authorities are not living in Sri Lanka and are operating their drug syndicates from overseas, specially hiding in Middle Eastern countries.

"Their second as well as third level layers of accomplices are the ones who are residing and operating in our country to carry out these leading drug traffickers' drug syndicate operations.

These major drug traffickers living overseas are s...