Sunday Times 2
Concerted action needed to make Lanka heroin-free
View(s):Heroin which is often smuggled from the “Golden Crescent” – a poppy cultivation area covering Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran — comes to our country mainly through Pakistan and India. The smuggling of heroin from India is mostly done through couriers who are frequent visitors. They bring in small quantities concealed in their baggage. Large scale smuggling of heroin comes in the form of container shipments from Pakistan.
Smugglers exploit the good business relationship between Pakistan and Sri Lanka to bring large quantities of heroin into our country. Several Pakistanis are in Sri Lanka. Some of them have contracted marriages of convenience to legitimately live in this country. There are also a large number of Pakistanis who have come here as refugees while some live illegally. Some with business acumen float companies, partnering with local entrepreneurs, most of them with political leverage. Once they get closer to the politicians they influence them by way of financial and other assistance in order to develop their illegal activities under the guise of their normal business activities.
It may be recalled that large quantities of heroin were detected by the Customs. They came in containers with the consignment being declared as potatoes, grease or metal tools. The detections exposed the Pakistani nationals behind the operation and their political friends in the previous government. Unscrupulous politicians and law enforcement officers are darlings of the smugglers. Their palms are well greased to enable the smooth running of the illegal activities.
Notorious drug kingpin Wele Sudha, who was arrested in Pakistan and deported to Sri Lanka, revealed he was conducting his heroin smuggling activities from Pakistan with the help of Pakistani nationals. The latest information revealed by him was that he along with the Pakistani nationals exported tractors from Pakistan where the gear boxes were removed and stuffed with heroin. It is now revealed that the heroin was never detected but the tractors were traced without the gear boxes. He had also revealed how he had financially looked after leading politicians and high ranking police officers.
Narcotics intelligence
A serious effort must be made by the Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB), a specialised unit within the Police Department, to eliminate heroin smuggling of and undertake preventive education programmes. During the past few years, the PNB had been more or less sidelined. However, it is now reported that the Government has given priority for eradicating narcotic drugs and a special unit has been established to undertake this task. This unit should organise an intelligence section to arrest smugglers and their financiers based on the information available so far through statements recorded from suspects and informants. An effective network of informants to obtain information on large-scale smuggling operations before the consignment reaches Sri Lanka should be developed so that the PNB could concentrate on the financiers, smugglers and large scale distributors in Sri Lanka.
Police stations
We have a well spread network of police stations covering the entire country. It should be the task of police stations to identify the local distributors and sellers, and have them hounded until they cease drug trafficking in their areas. A close monitoring system should be developed by senior officers to ensure that Officers-in-Charge of police stations take meaningful efforts to eradicate drug peddling in their areas. Based on their records, there should be a reward and punishment system for OICs.
National Dangerous Drugs Control Board (NDDCB)
The National Dangerous Drugs Control Board (NDDCB) should not be merely an outfit to collect statistics and conduct periodic educational programmes on drug prevention. The NDDCB should be the proactive force working closely with the Police, the Customs and the Excise Department to form a combined task force to go after the financiers and drug smugglers. Law enforcement in arresting the culprits or detecting drug hauls or deterrent punishments will not bring in the desired results. It is through well planned, meaningful and continuous preventive, educational programmes in schools and among the public that we can eradicate drug trafficking and the drug menace in our country. The NDDCB should spearhead this programme, in collaboration with the enforcement agencies, mostly the Police Department.
The new Government has declared that it will not have any connection with drug smugglers. Therefore, it is for the Government to ensure that none of its ministers or members patronise or help drug smugglers to engage in their business without any hindrance.
(The writer is a retired DIG)