Sri Lanka, gang violence and drug trafficking: already 50 murders in 2024

With an uncontrolled spread of firearms, the country is experiencing an unprecedented escalation of violence, linked to drug trafficking. Sri Lanka is now a global hub for the transit of heroin from South Asia to Europe. The shadows of the civil war that ended in 2009 weigh heavily. The most vulnerable, poor and unemployed young people are affected.

Colombo (AsiaNews) - Gun violence is escalating in Sri Lanka, with about 50 murders recorded in the first half of the year caused by clashes between rival gangs. Statistics from the Global Organised Crime Index reveal that the teardrop of India is a transit hub for heroin, the most widely consumed drug in the country, coming mainly from Afghanistan, Pakistan and India and destined for Europe. This has turned the island nation into a crucial hub of the global drug trade. According to the latest report by theIndex Recent open-ocean seizures of heroin, there is also an increase in maritime trafficking due to the related market.

Almost all young Sri Lankans attracted to these gangs, in their early twenties, come from low-income urban families, have dropped out of school and are unemployed. Currently, most of the gangs operate around the Kelani Valley, in Wellampitiya, Kaduwela, Athurugiriya and Homagama.

According to retired Deputy Inspector General of Police Priyantha Jayakody, a former director of the Crime and Organised Crime Division and an expert on the evolution of gangs in the country, ‘if one analyses the current problem, one can see that the amalgamation of the post-conflict scenario with the drug business has resulted in a dangerous situation. The drug wars, which started on a small scale in the 1980s when heroin began to enter the country, have escalated to a dangerous level due to the growing stakes in the illegal drug trade as the demand for heroin among local addicts has increased. "The heroin being smuggled into Sri Lanka comes from the Golden Crescent countries of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran. It is smuggled in large quantities by sea, while small quantities are brought in from India'.

Statistics compiled by the National Dangerous Drugs Control Board (NDDCB) reveal that in January 2024, police seized about 130 kilograms of heroin, while in the same month, 19,000 arrests were made for drug-related offences and 8,269 (about 44.2 per cent) were made for heroin possession. In 2023, the total number of suspects arrested for drug offences was 162,088. Of these, 66,142 (40.2%) were arrested for heroin possession. Of these, 66,142 (40.8%) were heroin-related offences.

Former Senior Superintendent of Police Mahesh Tillakaratne tells AsiaNews that ‘initially heroin and other dangerous drugs were smuggled into the country through the airport, but when demand increased and airport security was tightened, drug traffickers chose the sea trade. So the traffic moved to different locations in international waters, from where the supplies are picked up and smuggled ashore. ‘Thanks to advanced communication technologies, including the use of GPS, it is easy for them to coordinate meeting points in the middle of the sea.’ According to police officers, the proliferation of illegal weapons has led to widespread violence among gang members, with murders and vendettas, while others are linked to disagreements over the division of illegal earnings.

Minister of Public Security Tiran Alles revealed at a recent press conference in Colombo that ‘weapons are being smuggled into the country from outside, while many weapons have ended up in the wrong hands since the end of the war in 2009’. Alles also asked citizens to provide information on illegal weapons, offering them cash rewards. ‘Since there are so many firearms in circulation in the country, it is not surprising that there are crimes involving firearms.’

The Minister also added that ‘initially the smugglers were operating in the Chilaw area. Once security in the area was tightened, they moved to the Negombo-Kalpitiya coastal strip, but increased naval surveillance in the area has forced many gangs to move south, with the main hub now centred in Matara'.