By Roy Denish
Sri Lanka has recorded 38 gang-related shootings this year, leaving 25 people dead and 15 wounded as police target overseas crime networks.
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – A surge in gang-related violence linked to turf wars and the international narcotics trade has pushed Sri Lanka’s organised crime-related shootings to 38 this year, leaving 25 people dead and 15 wounded, according to police data.
The bloodshed, involving alleged contract killings, drive-by shootings, and revenge attacks targeting relatives and associates of rival underworld figures, highlights a changing criminal landscape in which narcotics bosses are increasingly accused of directing operations from overseas.
Police say the escalating violence is being driven by rival factions competing for territorial control and settling long-running disputes.
In some cases, investigators have found evidence suggesting that criminal syndicates paid contract killers in narcotics rather than cash.
The violence has also affected bystanders and associates of intended targets.
In August, a gunman travelling on a scooter opened fire in Mount Lavinia, killing a man whom police said was merely a friend of the intended target, the owner of a local vehicle repair business.
In a separate case in Maligawatta in August, 54-year-old hardware store owner Mohamed Asmin Moideen was shot dead.
Investigators arrested five suspects and are examining allegations that the killing was ordered from France by a fugitive underworld figure known as Kudu Anju.
Police also reported seizing crystal methamphetamine from several suspects taken into custody.
Authorities have responded with intensified operations involving communications intelligence, targeted raids, and international extradition efforts.
In August, police extradited high-profile underworld suspect Lalith Kannangara, widely known as “Bus Lalith”, from Dubai to face allegations involving murder, drug trafficking, extortion, and arson.
Law enforcement authorities have also initiated legal proceedings to seize approximately Rs. 3.878 billion in assets allegedly accumulated through criminal networks over the past three years.
Meanwhile, authorities are seeking 109 suspects reportedly subject to Interpol Red Notices, building on efforts that have resulted in 42 fugitives being returned to Sri Lanka since 2024.
