Use legal means to stamp out drugs

As if Sri Lanka needs more confirmation of the drug menace within its capital city, weekend newspaper reports gave a snapshot of how serious the problem really is and how little effective action has been taken to stamp it out.   

An estimated 350 heroin dealers are operating in the city of Colombo, with about 45 of them dealing in wholesale transactions involving millions of rupees, according to National Dangerous Drug Control Board (NDDCB) detectives.

Their investigations had revealed that 10 to 15 drug lords were leading the mafia-style operation with at least 25 kilograms of heroin being sold in every transaction, while the other 30 traded between one and two kilograms in each transaction.

Apart from these drug kings, another 300 operators were actively involved in the heroin market trading in small quantities of between 50 and 100 grams. In addition there was an undisclosed number, but believed to be in the thousands, dealing in the retail market throughout the city and its suburbs.

It is estimated that a kilogram of heroin sells on the street at between Rs. 4.5 million and six million, depending on the grade. This alone gives an idea of the astounding amount of money made and why it is next to impossible to capture the kingpins who obviously operate under political patronage.

Capturing the retail dealers and stamping down on less potent drugs is a smokescreen for these larger operatives, but due to the legal restrictions and political manipulation, there is little that authorities can do to quench the menace.     

According to investigations, about 90 per cent of heroin entering the local market came from Pakistan and South India – with the bulk being smuggled in by boat across the Palk Strait. This actively leaves the fishing population vulnerable as peddlers and heightens the challenge of capture.  

The detectives identified the main landing points for the boats bringing in the heroin as Chilaw and Negombo on the western coast and Mannar further up north.  They said the heroin was also reaching areas such as Hikkaduwa, Trincomalee, Talaimannar, Marawila, Beruwala, Kalmunai, Akkaraipattu, Thoduwava, Batticaloa, Arugam Bay and Panadura.

The detectives said they also had evidence that refugees returning from Tamil Nadu were also being used as couriers to smuggle in the heroin for a large fee. All this shows that people from all ethnicities are looped into the drug economy. It is practical to assume that most of these people come from the low income bracket and therefore find drug dealing a lucrative but dangerous occupation.

Studies in the US have also shown that the lowest earner is the person at the bottom of the drug chain, which means that many of those arrested for drug peddling are also the victims of the system. Without hope for a better source of employment, they are forced to expose themselves for very little return. This is not to condone what they do, but pressing the case for large operators to be punished by the legal system. Moreover, the small time peddlers can easily be replaced unless the head is cut off from this monster.

By advocating action, emphasis should be placed on the legal system. The Government cannot carry out extrajudicial killings and then pose them to the public as “justice”. All the previous attempts of this nature have been unsuccessful, while they also grossly undermine law and order in this country. It is time for the Government to empower the Judiciary and legal system to do their job.