Problem in the shadows

Tuesday, 21 February 2012 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Sri Lanka’s geographical location is seen mostly as a blessing. However, it is converted into a curse by drug traffickers, who are increasingly using the country as a transit point or hub.

The Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) has been placed on alert that Sri Lanka is being used as a transit point for smuggling cocaine to other countries. It was reported over the weekend that special teams have been deployed at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) to detect the attempts.

Within the past two weeks, two major drug rackets have been detected at the BIA. One detection was made on 3 February, where a Thai girl was arrested along with 1.7 kg of cocaine, while in a second detection on Thursday, a Filipino girl was arrested with 3.3 kg of cocaine. Both had similar travel patterns and had been to Sri Lanka earlier. Both the Filipino girl and the Thai woman are reported to have been used by the same agent for the operation.

According to recent information, Sri Lanka has also been used as a transit point involving other countries such as Brazil, Peru, Thailand and Nigeria. A gram of cocaine has a street value of Rs. 15,000 and the street value of the two detections made recently was more than Rs. 75 million.

Clearly the big bucks are the attraction. But the PNB should not be surprised as drug trafficking via Sri Lanka has been a major point of concern for many years. In 2011 the National Dangerous Drugs Control Board warned that the country was under increasing threat in its annual report.

According to the report, 58 foreigners have been arrested in Sri Lanka for drug trafficking within the last five years. Of them 25 were Pakistanis, four Indians, six Maldivians and five Iranians. In 2010 alone, 25 foreigners were arrested for the trafficking of 55 kilos of heroin and 3.978 kilos of cocaine. Besides this, two Sri Lankans were arrested in India for drug related offences.

From 2009 to 2010, the street value of heroine increased by 43% showing the massive amount of money involved in the trafficking. The report also pointed out that over 30,000 people were imprisoned in 2010 on drug related charges creating a massive challenge for law enforcement authorities.

Even though it was suspected that the LTTE dabbled in drug trafficking, there does not seem to be a significant reduction in the flow of drugs to the country since the end of the war. Given that the above numbers do not reflect on the dozens of arrests that are made in India and other neighbouring countries before the drugs reach Lankan shores and the sheer quantity of them, the problem seems to be grave indeed.

Drug addiction may not seem to be a grave problem for the public, but if allowed to grow it could have serious effects on the youth and overall society. It is no secret that the drug trade often receives powerful political patronage and given the longevity of trafficking in Sri Lanka, it can be supposed that the support has also extended over many long years.

Taking tough and holistic action against these offenders is the only way to prevent a horrific problem from emerging.