Twenty five special units comprising police and STF personnel to combat drug related crimes and organised crimes will be set up countrywide, Law and Order Minister Ranjith Maddumabandara said.
Addressing a media briefing in Colombo yesterday, he said these special teams will function under the IGP. However, the minister noted that the Tri-Forces can only be involved in such operations under Emergency Law but that his ministry was looking on how they could utilise the forces in drug operations to control the drugs scourge.
“Today drugs come in various forms. Schoolchildren are targeted and we intend to commence an operation at the beginning of the next school term targeting all schools and conduct an awareness programme to warn schoolchildren of the dangers of these drugs in order to prevent them falling victim to this drug menace.This operation will be carried out island wide,” he said.
The Minister also noted that even medicinal drugs are now being used by drug addicts and his ministry and the police are also looking at ways of preventing these medicinal drugs from being used for other purposes other than for its intended uses.
“Today one of the main topics is the drug menace and the organised crimes taking place in the country. However, we have stepped up our operations and by that we have been able to drastically reduce the number of such incidents while increasing the number of arrests and detections. The supply of drugs to the market has reduced and the price of drugs has also increased. These drug operations are being carried out mostly from overseas persons and those within prison. However, we have also taken measures to prevent these drug operators from carrying on their businesses from within prisons.
With the assistance and manpower of the police and the STF we have launched a massive operation against these drug operators to prevent the flow of drugs to the country and our society,” Minister Maddumabandara said.
In 2016 the police had made 27,458 arrests in connection with heroin related offences and in 2017 the number of heroin related arrests were 29,272. This year within the first six months police had made 19,962 arrests with regard to drug offences. The minister said that the number of arrests have increased while the number of crimes have reduced and the government intend to further increase these operations and the number of arrests through these special operations.
He added that the police had obtained blue warrants on several of the drug kingpins who are overseas and intend to intensify the operations against these drug operators. “In the past most of these drug operators were being shielded by politicians and they could operate without any hindrance with their protection. However, this government will not tolerate such actions and we will not hesitate to arrest anyone who is connected with drugs irrespective of who they are or what their position is,” the minister warned.
The minister also noted that measures are being taken to implement a system to destroy the stocks of drugs that is taken into custody once it has been sent to the Government Analyst and a report is obtained. He said previously these are being kept until the cases are completed but added that this would change in the near future and these drugs would be destroyed as soon as the initial procedures are completed.