By Roy Denish
Sri Lanka youth drug arrests reached 9,105 in 11 months, including 11 children aged eight to 14, according to police figures.
COLOMBO – More than 9,000 children and young adults, including 11 aged between eight and 14, were arrested in connection with drug-related offences during an 11-month nationwide police operation, exposing the troubling scale of Sri Lanka’s narcotics problem among younger sections of society.
According to figures released by Sri Lanka Police, 9,105 individuals aged between eight and 21 were taken into custody between 30 October 2025 and 1 October 2026.
The statistics, disclosed by Police Media Spokesperson Assistant Superintendent F. U. Wootler, have intensified concerns about the involvement of vulnerable children in drug-related activities and the availability of appropriate rehabilitation services.
Boys and Young Men Account for Majority of Arrests
Of the 9,105 arrests recorded, 8,932 involved males, representing approximately 98.1% of the total.
The remaining 173 arrests involved females.
Particularly concerning was the disclosure that 11 children between eight and 14 years of age had been arrested in connection with drug-related offences.
The figures, however, do not establish how many individuals were arrested for possession, personal consumption, distribution or organised trafficking.
Nor do they indicate how many arrests resulted in successful prosecutions, rehabilitation referrals or other interventions.
Importantly, the total includes adults aged 18 to 21 and should not be described exclusively as arrests of minors.
New Government Figures Expand the Picture
Further information presented to Parliament on 22 October 2026 indicated that police had carried out 588,180 drug-related raids over the preceding two years, resulting in 586,824 arrests.
Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala disclosed the broader figures during a parliamentary statement on the Government’s anti-narcotics operations.
Subsequent reporting also identified nearly 12,000 individuals below the age of 21 among arrests recorded during the two-year period.
These figures highlight the scale of enforcement activity, although differences between reporting periods and possible repeat arrests mean the totals should not simply be added together.
Enforcement Versus Rehabilitation
The growing involvement of children and young adults raises questions about whether enforcement-based strategies are adequately addressing the social conditions contributing to drug abuse.
Children affected by substance abuse may be exposed to exploitation by trafficking networks, coercion by adults, domestic instability, poverty and disrupted education.
Their involvement in a drug-related investigation does not necessarily establish that they were operating as voluntary participants in criminal networks.
The distinction is particularly important when dealing with children below the age of 14.
Government Plans Specialised Support
Minister of Women and Child Affairs Saroja Savithri Paulraj has previously indicated that her ministry is working with the Department of Probation and Child Care Services to develop rehabilitation arrangements for juveniles affected by narcotics-related offences.
The National Child Protection Authority has also been involved in providing counselling and psychosocial assistance to vulnerable children.
Nevertheless, the available figures do not establish how many arrested children have received treatment, rehabilitation, educational support or protective intervention.
Questions That Remain Unanswered
A comprehensive assessment of the Government’s anti-drug strategy requires information extending beyond arrest statistics.
Authorities have yet to provide a sufficiently detailed public breakdown identifying the substances involved, geographical distribution of arrests, proportion of repeat offenders and outcomes of juvenile cases.
Without these details, it remains difficult to determine whether the enforcement campaign is successfully disrupting organised trafficking networks or primarily increasing the number of vulnerable young people entering the criminal justice system.
The challenge facing Sri Lanka is therefore not simply the arrest of individuals involved in narcotics-related activities, but the prevention of addiction, exploitation and recruitment before young people become entangled in criminal networks.
