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PNB tracking group enticing children to take to drugs
The Police Narcotics (PNB) is investigating a drug syndicate which entices school children to take to narcotics.
Targetting innocent schoolchildren: Police are taking measures to protect schoolchildren from falling victim to drug dealers (file pic)
The investigations follows revelations that more and more people from low income group families are being made use of for trafficking of drugs into schools and beach parties aimed at children and youth getting addicted to drugs.
A senior officer of the Bureau said that the new modus operandi to make use of children comes as old systems where they used adults to lure school children have now turned to be ineffective due to increased vigilance.
“Previous systems where drugs were sold at shops close to schools and selling of drugs by adults loitering near schools and tuition classes or at sports events have failed as police and parents have been vigilant of such persons and places,” he said.
During recent police investigations it has been revealed that traffickers were now making use of children, mostly picked up from low income group families to introduce drugs to schools.
“The traffickers provide them with expensive phones, clothing and money for their expenses so that they can move with students at schools or private tuition classes matching their social standards and gradually entice the students to take drugs,” he said.
“The children themselves used for trafficking are initially invited to beach parties where they are enticed to use drugs or substances with narcotics,”the officer explained.
The students are thereafter enticed to use drugs with claims that it will help them to improve their memory or remain calm when they are disturbed over love affairs or over their studies.
He said that the use of drugs was not confined to leading schools in Colombo, but has gradually spread to the interior, including schools in the outstations.
The recent findings have prompted the PNB to draw up an educational programme on preventing the use of narcotics by school children.
The programme includes a video presentation depicting how the health of drug users is affected.
“We have done the presentation in a manner that it does not entice anyone to take to narcotics’, he added.Part of the programme will be targeting the parents showing how children should be protected from persons who try to introduce children to drugs.
“We have a mobile presentation as well which will be travelling to Polonnaruwa next month to conduct a programme there,”he said.
The officer said that regarding the smuggling of drugs to the country too the methods seem to be changing fast.
“Earlier most of the smuggling took place via containers. Some of the biggest detections also were made when attempts were made to smuggle drugs through these containers,” he said.
However, now the trend has been to smuggle drugs by sea. “This is possibly as vigilance has been reduced compared to the days the war was on,” he added.
Last year the detection of narcotics was placed at 46 kilograms while this year already 22 kilograms of heroin have been detected from a house in Ambalangoda.
Last year 26,458 heroin related cases were filed and 26,539 arrests were made. In addition 6,569 kilos of cannabis were detected and 52,319 cases filed after arresting 52,076 persons. Five kilos of cocaine were also detected with seven arrests and an equal number of cases.