Dozens arrested in anti-corruption and narcotics crackdown across Sri Lanka

Date:

July 31, Colombo (LNW): Authorities in Sri Lanka have intensified their efforts to tackle corruption and drug-related crimes, with dozens of individuals taken into custody over the past several months in a series of coordinated enforcement operations.

Between January and the end of June 2025, the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) received over 3,000 public complaints related to bribery and misconduct.

Following targeted investigations, 54 separate operations were conducted, leading to the arrest of 34 suspects connected to various corrupt activities.

Those arrested include a notable number of public officials: ten from the police force, five from the Ministry of Justice, two from the Ministry of Health, and two from the Sri Lanka Transport Board. In addition to state employees, six civilians were also taken into custody in relation to bribery cases.

The legal response has been swift. During this six-month period, prosecutors filed 50 cases involving 60 individuals in courts across the country. While six cases reached a conclusion, a significant backlog remains, with 273 bribery-related cases currently pending in the judicial system.

Simultaneously, the country continues to grapple with a pervasive drug crisis. According to figures released by the Ministry of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs, an extraordinary 122,913 arrests were made for drug offences between 1 January and 29 July this year.

Authorities have confiscated vast quantities of illicit substances during this period, including nearly 929 tonnes of heroin, approximately 1.4 million kilogrammes of crystal methamphetamine (commonly known as ICE), over 11 million kilogrammes of cannabis, 27,836 kilogrammes of cocaine, and more than 381,000 kilogrammes of hashish.

On July 29, a large-scale joint operation was launched involving the Sri Lanka Police, the Special Task Force (STF), and the country’s armed forces. A total of 6,695 personnel were deployed across the island to conduct vehicle checks, surveillance, and targeted arrests.

As part of the operation, authorities inspected over 10,000 vehicles and more than 7,700 motorcycles. These efforts led to the arrest of 948 suspects for drug-related offences, in addition to 13 individuals identified as directly connected to narcotics trafficking and distribution networks. Furthermore, three illicit firearms were recovered during the sweep.

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