Yukthiya anti-drug and crime operation 75 percent successful, says DIG Waruna Jayasundara

Next step is to press home advantage with tri-forces help

By Rathindra Kuruwita

The aim of the Yukthiya anti-drug and crime operation was to arrest the second tier of the Sri Lankan drug trade, i.e., those who sell drugs, Commander of the Police Special Task Force (STF), DIG Waruna Jayasundara said.

DIG Jayasundera said that on top of the drug network were underworld kingpins living abroad and at the bottom tier are drug addicts, adding that before the operation was launched, the police identified about 4,000 people who were selling drugs around the country.

“Yukthiya is one of the most successful anti-drug and crime operations carried out by the Sri Lankan police in recent times. Before the operation was launched, the IGP told us that this network of drug dealers had to be broken within three months. We have arrested about 75 percent of the identified drug dealers by now.”

Jayasundara said that during the operation a large number of drug addicts, as well as large quantities of drugs, had been detected, and since December 17 they had destroyed 50 acres of cannabis.

Those involved in the Yukthiya operation had met over the past weekend and decided to seek the help of the tri-forces to fast-track the goals of the initiative, the STF commandant said.

The police with the aid of the tri-forces would intensify the operation in a bid to crush the network within the next month, he said.

“The drug addicts we arrest are sent to rehabilitation. We also focus on eradicating crime. A large number of criminals, too, have been arrested.”

Police media spokesman, DIG Nihal Thalduwa said they had identified 70 police areas where drugs were prevalent. Each of the police stations had been given five extra personnel so that these police stations could carry out search operations daily.

“Apart from the 4,000 drug dealers we identified before the operation was launched, we have now identified another 2,500 dealers. We initially thought those people are drug addicts but we have now found that they were also involved in drug dealing. The names of these individuals, too, have been sent to police stations.”

The Police Spokesman said they follow a three-pronged approach; one was to arrest drug dealers, second was to obtain detention orders so that the police could question them thoroughly and third was to identify assets acquired with money made through illegal means.

“One can be sentenced to death if one is nabbed with over five grams of hard drugs. Drug dealers know this and try to hire the best lawyer, so we have to be very thorough in our investigations. We have also asked all policemen to treat suspects properly and ensure their fundamental rights are protected.”

Deputy Director Illegal Assets and Property Investigation Unit, SP Anura Premaratna said they had confiscated property worth 735 million rupees since the start of the Yukthiya operation.