News
Drug war resumes with more vigour; STF and armed forces called in
View(s):By Damith Wickremasekara
The second phase of the government’s anti-drug war, officially known as ‘Yukthiya’ (Justice), got underway this week with new strategies being employed to combat narcotic-related crimes.
The operation, jointly carried out by the Police, Special Task Force (STF), and armed forces, primarily targets the Western and Southern Provinces, where the narcotic trade is more pronounced. However, the operation will also cover other regions, according to Police Spokesman and Deputy Inspector General Nihal Thalduwa.
Yukthiya operation in progress
He told the Sunday Times that the current phase involved the Defence Ministry and the participation of armed forces personnel in search operations, and this was the main difference between the two phases.
Under the plan, a daily operation is carried out in a targeted police area with the participation of the armed forces. In addition, police officers in charge of each division have been told to carry out parallel operations to nab people involved in organised crime.
According to guidelines, addicts who are arrested will be sent to rehabilitation centres, but if they are arrested for the second or third time, they will be produced in court to face more severe charges.
DIG Thalduwa said the armed forces had been called in along with their vehicles as an operation of such magnitude required more personnel, and police alone could not do that.
He said that analyses based on the outcome of the first phase of the Yukthiya operation showed a drop in crime in 24 categories, which include chain snatchings, burglaries, vehicle robberies, the distribution of drugs, and house break-ins.
Citing intelligence reports, the DIG said the number of narcotic drug distributors had dropped from 5,550 to 500 as a result of the Yukthiya operation, but of late, they had gathered information that another 1,700 new distributors had come in.
He said plans are underway to increase the rehabilitation facilities to accommodate some 12,000 people.
STF Commandant, Senior DIG Waruna Jayasundara, told the Sunday Times that some 600 STF personnel had been deployed for the operation, while 21 camps have been set up in the Western and Southern Provinces.
He said that although the STF withdrew from highway patrols, it had increased the number of checkpoints at the entry and exit points.
In addition, the STF has deployed 100 motorcycle squads.
Each of the teams deployed islandwide for the Yukthiya operation will have at least two STF personnel, he said.
Since the first phase of the operation launched on December 17 last year, about 5,904 people involved in drug trafficking have been arrested, while the total number of arrests was 155,585.
The total number of detections is 156,187, while narcotic drugs with a street value of Rs. 19 billion have been seized.
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