The Police have established a high-powered body, the ‘Organised Crimes and Narcotic Range’ to launch comprehensive operations against the drug menace and the underworld, Law and Order Minister Sagala Ratnayaka said.
The new body will operationally combine the Police Special Task Force, the Narcotics Bureau and the Organised Crimes Unit.
The new Range will also draw on the support of key bodies including the Sri Lanka Navy and the Customs Department to battle the drug menace.
“The new Range is entrusted with the task of nabbing every party involved in the drug trade. It will not only go after the ‘minnows’ in the drug trade, but also net the big fish,” the Minister told the Daily News.
To achieve this task, the new Range has been given a strong mandate, which includes gathering intelligence information, making necessary decisions without delay, executing operations on the ground and apprehending culprits.
“Drug trafficking is not only associated with violence and organised crime; it is, in many parts of the world, linked to terrorist activities as well. It is also linked to criminal activities such as money laundering, arms and human trafficking, and corruption. Dismantling this entire network is a daunting task and I believe the Sri Lankan Police, with the leadership of IGP Pujith Jayasundara, will eradicate this problem and rescue our country from the drug menace,” he added.
The first successful operation of this unit took place in Kurana, Negombo on Saturday evening (12), where the STF launched a raid on a criminal gang heavily involved in the drug trade, robberies and other serious crimes. The gang opened fire at the STF from a van and the officers successfully countered the attack. Although two suspects were injured in the shootout,
the STF nabbed two gangsters on the spot and took a cache of arms into custody. Upon further questioning, it was revealed that they were all connected to a larger criminal network operating with strong ‘underworld’ connections.