Sri Lanka youth drug arrests reached 8,609 in nine months as police seized heroin, crystal methamphetamine, cocaine and narcotic pills.
Sri Lanka youth drug arrests reached 8,609 during the past nine months, including 743 schoolchildren, according to figures disclosed by police.
Police Media Spokesperson Assistant Superintendent of Police Udayakumara Wootler presented the figures during a special media briefing at the Police Media Division in Battaramulla.
Police arrested 7,866 young people between the ages of 18 and 21 in connection with drugs. They also arrested 743 school students aged between 14 and 18.
Wootler warned that young people expected to carry the country’s future were increasingly falling victim to drug abuse.
Sri Lanka Police have seized large quantities of narcotics during special operations. However, police observations indicate that drug involvement among younger people remains at a critically high level.
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Drugs worth billions seized in nine months
Police also disclosed details of the narcotics taken into custody during the nine-month period.
The reported seizures included:
- Heroin: 2,253 kilograms and 734 grams, valued at approximately Rs. 4,958 million, or Rs. 49.58 billion
- Ice, or crystal methamphetamine: 2,640 kilograms and 695 grams, valued at approximately Rs. 4,225 million, or Rs. 42.25 billion
- Cocaine: 293 kilograms and 732 grams, valued at approximately Rs. 1,028 million, or Rs. 10.28 billion
- Narcotic pills: Nearly 360,000 tablets
The figures underline the scale of the narcotics trade confronting police while Sri Lanka youth drug arrests continue to rise.
Wootler said the principal goal of the national “Rata Maa Ekata” operation was to eliminate drug trafficking.
Police aim to achieve this by disrupting the “black money” generated by narcotics dealers and targeting the financial networks that sustain the trade.
Police issue urgent warning to parents
The Police Media Spokesperson urged parents to remain highly alert to changes in their children’s behaviour.
Parents should act immediately if they notice unusual conversations, new friendships or significant changes in established behaviour patterns, he said.
Police stressed that “it does not matter whose child it is, any child could fall victim to this crime.”
The public was also asked to provide information and support future police raids and anti-drug operations.
Authorities maintain that community cooperation remains essential to protect children and young adults while removing the drug threat from the country.
The latest Sri Lanka youth drug arrests figures have intensified calls for parents, schools and communities to recognise warning signs before more young lives become trapped in narcotics.
