The Sri Lanka Police yesterday announced that during the first half of 2025, law enforcement agencies have apprehended nearly 106,000 suspects linked to counter narcotic and organised crime operations. According to Police Media Spokesperson, Assistant Superintendent of Police F.U. Wootler, between 1 January and 11 July, 1,386 kg of crystal methamphetamine (‘Ice’), 10,895 kg of cannabis, 22 kg of cocaine, 329 kg of hash and 922 kg of heroin has been seized during joint operations conducted by the Police and the armed forces. In 2024, the Sri Lanka Navy in close coordination with other law enforcement agencies netted 622 kg of heroin, 1,211 kg of Crystal Methamphetamine (Ice), 1,752 kg of Kerala cannabis, 119 kg of local cannabis and 1,179,746 prescription drugs, it was reported. The numbers show the magnitude of the national security challenge faced by Sri Lanka and underscore the realities law enforcement agencies have to deal with on a daily basis. While the State can pat itself on the back for a job well done with record numbers of narcotics intercepted, the continued scale of illicit drugs being smuggled into Sri Lanka remains high. Further, according to ASP Wootler 35,442 cases were filed as part of special crime operations conducted from 13 April to 12 July.

Both numbers point to a need for Sri Lanka’s counter narcotics strategy – which is also part of the tool kit used to combat the narco-linked organised crime crisis, and is in need of revision. While law enforcement at sea, and border control at key regulated entry points like ports and airports has been relatively effective thus far, the continued volume of narcotics which has been apprehended points to gaps in our strategy. Given there is a new government with a powerful Parliamentary at the helm, and having a stated goal of being more transparent and driven with a mandate fight corruption and crime, the time may be ripe for a broad debate on how to recalibrate Sri Lanka’s approach to the narcotics problem and to how its combats narco-related crime.

Sri Lanka has long been struggling to change its approach towards narcotic-abused victims, with many ending up being remanded due to dragnet police operations, and gaps in the Legislature, which prioritise criminalising abuse victims over providing them treatment and addiction management assistance. As such, today the Sri Lankan prisons system is bursting at its seams due to overcrowding. Just last month, the critical nature of the problem was once again highlighted, when Prisons officials revealed that with nearly 33,000 inmates currently held despite an infrastructure capacity of just 12,000, the Prison system remains overcrowded. Prisons officials said 65% of inmates are incarcerated for drug-related offences, creating further strain on the 36 prison institutions nationwide. They also highlighted a significant shortage of prison officers, adding that although the majority of officers are committed, public confidence has been affected by the actions of a few. Prisons officials also stressed the need to reduce imprisonments to avoid a national crisis and added that while security has been tightened, prisons remain vulnerable to external smuggling attempts like mobile phones being thrown over walls.

Sri Lanka needs to change its legal approach to deal with drug-abused victims and repeat offenders of drug abuse. As long as they are linked to violent crime, many experts have observed that first time offenders should be encouraged by the courts and the State to undergo a mandatory rehabilitation programme, built with global best practices included. A robust community and State support system is needed to ensure that those who undergo rehabilitation, can return and reintegrate to their communities effectively, without fear of reprisals or stigma which is commonly attached to drug abuse victims. Such a programme with a monitoring and mentoring system to prevent repeat offending or relapse should also include vocational training and confidence building programmes for them, to not to sink back to using narcotics. The time to act is now.