Daily News Editorial

Eradicating Drugs

17th October 2015

The passing down of the death sentence on drug kingpin Gampola Vidanalage Don Samantha Kumara alias Wele Suda earlier in the week marks a significant victory in Sri Lanka's battle against illegal drugs. He was arrested in Pakistan in January and brought to Sri Lanka. Several Sri Lankan and foreign accomplices of Wele Suda have also been arrested and their cases are pending.

However in the overall order of things, this is just one instance of how drugs have virtually invaded our shores following the liberalisation of the economy. Over the last few years, there have been several massive detections of heroin and other dangerous substances at various points of entry to Sri Lanka, including the Colombo Port and the Bandaranaike International Airport. Sri Lanka thus gained a dubious reputation as a transit point for the international illegal drugs trade. It was no secret that powerful figures including politicians were behind the free flow of drugs to the country, apart from corrupt elements in law enforcement and revenue collection agencies who looked the other way when drugs were brought in.

According to the latest statistics published in our front page yesterday, over 763 kilos of heroin are consumed per year in Sri Lanka. The National Dangerous Drugs Control Board has said that over 45,000 Sri Lankan drug addicts use over two kilos of heroin daily. An estimated 350 heroin peddlers and dealers operate in the city of Colombo with about 45 of them dealing in wholesale transactions involving hundreds of millions of rupees, the sources said. Since these statistics do not indicate the rates of usage of other narcotics substances including cannabis and cocaine, one can only assume that the drug problem is much bigger than this figure suggests. Taken as a whole, substance abuse (including legally available tobacco and alcohol) is a bigger social menace than we perceive it to be.

Seven hundred kilos is by no means a small quantity in a country where the possession of a few grams of heroin is enough to qualify for the death sentence. This means that despite the best efforts of the Navy, Coastguard, Customs, Police Narcotics Bureau and other law enforcement agencies, large quantities of illegal drugs continue to be smuggled successfully. All attempts must be made to cover this loophole. It is generally known that in any country, the law enforcement agencies can only apprehend around 10 percent of the drugs smuggled in. Navy sources say that illegal drug trafficking in Sri Lanka is on the rise. Heroin and cannabis (also grown locally) are the most common drugs seized in the country with 80 percent of these drugs finding their way via the sea route.

Much of the world's heroin supply is now routed through the vast Indian Ocean, but with the limited resources available to the Navy, it is impossible to block all drug smuggling attempts. As outlined by State Minister of Defence Ruwan Wijewardene at the recently concluded Meeting of the Senior Drug Enforcement Officials of the Indian Ocean Region, all countries in the region should come together to share intelligence on drug trafficking and act upon them. Wele Suda's case itself is a good example of such intra-SAARC cooperation. Naval and other forces should also conduct joint operations where possible to block and intercept drug traffickers. The Sri Lanka Navy recently conducted a Visit Board Search and Seize (VBSS) exercise of the type used to hunt for drug smugglers' boats on the high seas. These agencies must be given more training on, and exposure to, drug busting operations. All countries should make a concerted effort to destroy drug plant cultivations. Strengthening surveillance at entry points such as ports and airports is essential, with more trained personnel, sniffer dogs and advanced detection equipment.

President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe have vowed to eradicate the drugs menace from the country as part of the Government's programme of work. They have already taken several steps in this direction, including strengthening the law enforcement agencies, Excise and Customs and the Judiciary which is essential to take action against drug lords regardless of their social stature or political links. It is important to nab the biggest drug dealers, not just the small-time street peddlers.

It is also vital to rehabilitate drug users, but it is even more important to prevent others, especially schoolchildren and youth, from falling into the same pit. Parents must be the first line of defence against drug abuse, but schools have an even bigger role to play in weaning children away from illicit narcotics, tobacco and alcohol. The media, print and electronic, too should play a bigger role, highlighting the deadly dangers of drug abuse so that a negative image on illegal drugs is created in the minds of readers and viewers. Eradicating drugs is not just the responsibility of the Government and law enforcement authorities, but the whole society should be part of this noble exercise.