Largest quantity of heroin and ganja found in Western Province:

Police declare all-out war on drugs

by Jayampathy JAYASINGHE

The offensive launched by the police against heroin, ganja and other dangerous drugs in the Western Province has been successful, IGP Mahinda Balasuriya told a media briefing at the Police Headquarters in Colombo yesterday.

He said 3.62 kilograms of heroin and 7,448.7 kilograms of ganja were found in Mount Lavinia, Borella and the Kelaniya police divisions. Police have arrested 3,135 suspects who were involved in the heroin trade and 7,305 suspects in narcotics and 1,199 suspects for other offences. He said 3,119 cases have been already filed in respect of heroin and 7,290 cases against narcotics offences from October 13 to November 5.

“The largest quantity of heroin and ganja was detected in the Western Province.”

He said the government has given the green light to eradicate the drug menace, drugs such as heroin, ganja cannabis Sativa and Babul which is now consumed mostly by school children and drug addicts.

The Police Department will go all out to eradicate dangerous drugs that have plagued the country for so long following the defeat of terrorism. The biggest threat faced by the country after terrorism was the drug menace.

He said the first priority was to detect heroin followed by ganja and other substances such as Madhana Modaka, an intoxicating drug made out of ganja.

The 425 police stations in the country were instructed to carry out simultaneous raids during this period under the supervision of the Headquarters Inspector and Officers-in-charge of the police stations.

“However, we cannot be complacent with the offensive launched so far and the offensive will continue,” he said. The IGP said that he had visited 23 police stations during the past few weeks and instructed officers to declare an all-out war on drugs. Referring to the raids carried out by the police, he said mobile phones, SIM cards and phone chargers were found in women prison cells at the Welikada Prison. Similarly, 15 grams of heroin and eight kilograms of ganja were found at the Kandy prisons.

One of the biggest detections of heroin was made last week when the Negombo police found two kilograms of heroin, 60 rounds of T56 ammunition, two trishaws and a magazine in the possession of a drug dealer involved in international trafficking.

The Director General of the Media Centre for National Security, Lakshman Hulugalle said the war on drugs should continue until those involved in the importation of drugs were arrested. The government has pledged to wipe out the drug menace from the country, he said.