With an uncontrolled proliferation of firearms, the country is experiencing an unprecedented escalation of violence linked to drug trafficking. Sri Lanka is now a global hub for the transit of heroin from South Asia to Europe. The shadows of the civil war that ended in 2009 loom large. They affect the most vulnerable, poor and unemployed young people.
Colombo () – Armed violence is on the rise in Sri Lanka, with nearly 50 murders recorded in the first half of the year, caused by clashes between rival gangs. Statistics from the Global Organised Crime Index reveal that the Indian mainland is a transit centre for heroin, the most widely consumed drug in the country, originating mainly from Afghanistan, Pakistan and India and destined for Europe. This has made the island nation a crucial hub for global drug trafficking. According to the latest report from the Index, recent seizures of heroin on the high seas have also increased in maritime trafficking due to the related market.
Almost all of the Sri Lankan youths attracted by these gangs, in their early twenties, come from low-income urban families, have dropped out of school and are unemployed. Today, most of the gangs operate around the Kelani Valley, in Wellampitiya, Kaduwela, Athurugiriya and Homagama.
According to retired Deputy Inspector General of Police Priyantha Jayakody, former head of the Organised Crime and Crime Branch and an expert on the evolution of gangs in the country, “If you look at the current problem, you see that the amalgamation of the post-conflict scenario with the drug trade has led to a dangerous situation.” The drug wars, which began on a small scale in the 1980s when heroin started entering the country, have escalated to a dangerous level due to the rising stakes in the illegal drug trade as the demand for heroin among local addicts has increased. “The heroin smuggled into Sri Lanka comes from the Golden Crescent countries (Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran). It is smuggled in large quantities by sea, while small quantities are brought in from India.”
Statistics compiled by the National Dangerous Drugs Control Board (NDDCB) reveal that in January 2024, about 130 kilograms of heroin were seized by the police, while 19,000 arrests were made for drug-related offences and 8,269 (about 44.2%) for heroin possession in the same month. In 2023, the total number of suspects arrested for drug offences was 162,088. Of these, 66,142 (40.2%) were arrested for heroin possession. Of these, 66,142 (40.8%) were for heroin-related offences.
Former police commissioner Mahesh Tillakaratne told that “initially, heroin and other dangerous drugs were smuggled into the country through the airport, but as demand increased and airport security was tightened, drug traffickers switched to maritime trade. Trafficking then moved to various points in international waters, from where supplies are collected and smuggled ashore. “Advanced communication technologies, including the use of GPS, make it easy for them to coordinate rendezvous points in the middle of the sea.” According to the police, the proliferation of illegal weapons has led to widespread violence among gang members, with murders and revenge, while others are linked to disagreements over the sharing of illegal profits.
Public Security Minister Tiran Alles revealed at a recent press conference in Colombo that “weapons are being smuggled into the country from abroad, while many weapons have ended up in the wrong hands since the end of the war in 2009.” Alles also called on citizens to provide information about illegal weapons, offering them cash rewards. “Given that there are so many firearms in circulation in the country, it is not surprising that there is gun crime.”
The Minister added that “Initially the smugglers operated in the Chilaw area. Once security was tightened in the area, they moved to the Negombo-Kalpitiya coastal strip, but increased naval surveillance in the area has forced many gangs to move southwards, with the main hub now centred in Matara.”
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