Categories: Headlines

LNP – news Fresh bid to prevent drugs being pilfered out of custody of Govt. Analyst’s Dept., Police

A new mechanism would be introduced soon to destroy stocks of narcotics after samples are obtained, Public Security Minister Rear Admiral (Retd) Sarath Weerasekera told Parliament yesterday.

The ministry had initiated discussions with the Attorney General’s Department to implement the new mechanism as soon as possible, the Minister said, responding to a question by SJB Badulla District MP Chaminda Wijesiri.

 Minister Weerasekera said that the new mechanism would be introduced to prevent narcotics being smuggled out of police and the Government Analyst’s departments and resold. “As per the new mechanism, only samples of consignments of narcotics would be taken for the analysis to proceed with legal procedures and the rest would be destroyed so that there would be no need to store until cases are over. As per the prevailing mechanism, whenever a stock of narcotics is seized it had to be kept till the end of the case.

MP Wijesiri said there had been instances of heroin turning into flour at the Government Analyst’s Department.”Anti-narcotic officers of police and other agencies and tri-forces seize stocks of narcotics, but some other officials switch such contraband while it is in the government custody. We have information that some stocks of heroin are changed to other substances such as flour and there is a network that sells these court products. It is said that some ministers were too involved in that racket of re-selling those narcotics with the help of some officials.”

Minister Weerasekera said that there had been an instance where part of a consignment of narcotics in custody had found its way into the hands of drug traffickers from certain officers of the Government Analyst’s Department. Those involved in that racket had been identified and arrested and investigations were underway.  Two government Analyst’s Department officials involved in the racket had been arrested and the cases against them were pending before the court.

Asked to inform the House of the amounts of narcotics handed over to the Department of the Government Analyst in each year from 2015, the minister furnished the following figures: 717.841 kilos in 2015, 1793.109 kilos in 2016, 308.902 kilos in 2017, 279.768 kilos in 2018 and 1841.565 kilos in 2019. Up to Dec 15 of 2020, 2740.301 kilos of narcotics had been handed over to the Government Analyst’s Department.Â

AddThis Website Tools
Thanuka

Recent Posts

LNP – Wife of former State Minister arrested over Rs. 700 Mn tax evasion

Kushani Nanayakkara, a businesswoman and the wife of former State Minister Dunesh Gankanda, has been…

2 hours ago

LNP – Valaichchenai Paper Mill now generating profit: Handunneththi

The state-owned Valaichchenai Paper Mill is currently operating at a profit, according to Minister of…

5 hours ago

LNP – Govt. to recruit 10,000 retired military personnel into police service

The Ministry of Public Security of Sri Lanka has announced plans to recruit 10,000 individuals…

5 hours ago

LNP – Illegal inmate release: Top prison official arrested

The Assistant Commissioner of the Anuradhapura Prison was arrested this afternoon (8) by the Criminal…

5 hours ago

LNP – Matara Prison to be relocated to Kotawila

Minister of Justice Harshana Nanayakkara said that immediate steps will be taken to relocate the…

21 hours ago

LNP – Businessman penalised for selling expired medicines

A businessman has been handed a suspended six-month prison sentence and fined Rs. 10,000 after…

21 hours ago