Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) MP Vijitha Herath charged that it was a “famous secret” that prominent politicians were involved in the illegal drug trade but that due to the lack of evidence, they go scot-free. Below are excerpts of his interview with The Sunday Morning: What do you see as the main factor for successive governments' failure in tackling the drug menace? The main problem is that there is political involvement. All drug dealers have a connection with some politician. That is why we cannot stop the illegal drug business in this country. There have been recent reports of confiscated drugs finding its way back into the black market. How do you see this? I think this is also because of the collapse of the law and order system of our country. Yes, there is a judicial process as well as police investigations, but there are so many holes in the institutions. There is so much corruption within these institutions. Because of this, when a large haul of drugs is confiscated, only a small portion is finally destroyed while in the custody of the authorities. In some direct way, a majority of the confiscated drugs finds its way to the black market. Of course there is involvement from some officers of the Police and Narcotics Bureau as well as a few corrupt government officials. When looking at tackling the drug menace, would it be best to address the issue of demand for drugs or the supply of drugs? Actually, it’s a long-term process. Without fixing the country’s economy, we won’t be able to stop the drug mafia or the black market where all the dirty money is. In this black market, we can see so many other illegal businesses in addition to the drug mafia. So we have to change the whole system. Otherwise, we cannot stop the drug mafia. The supply and demand depends on society. If people don’t have any economic stability, they will resort to illegal forms of earning money as they don’t have proper employment. It is easy to earn money through selling drugs and being involved in the drug racket. Because of the collapse of the economy, a lot of people are looking towards quick and easy ways to make money, which are illegal. Without solving the problem of the economy it will not be possible to stop the drug trade. Do you believe there are parliamentarians involved in drug racketeering? If so, why do political parties continue to nominate such corrupt individuals? It is a well-known fact that so many politicians, not only parliamentarians but other provincial council or local government politicians as well, are directly involved in the illegal drug trade. The problem here is that without direct and clear evidence of wrongdoing against an individual, he or she can be nominated. Recently, MP Ranjan Ramanayake said that there were some members who were involved in the illegal drug business, but without proving that, we cannot do anything more than accuse. It is the duty of the Police and other investigative bodies to find this evidence. Members of Parliament can only allege. But people know very well which politicians are involved in this illegal activity. It is a widely known truth. But why can’t political parties refuse to nominate these suspects based on their character and conduct? It’s like this; without facts and figures, we can only make allegations. We can go by prima facie evidence but we need to prove these allegations. Now, “Makandure Madush”, while in custody, has revealed the names of politicians connected to him. But it will remain a secret. It is the duty of the authorities to find and produce evidence linking the various politicians to the drug trade. What best practices can we emulate from developed nations in tackling our narcotics problem? There are new technologies available pertaining to combating the illegal drug trade. If we can bring down such equipment, we can more easily detect and identify drugs. This will help greatly in our efforts in eradicating the drug problem.