Sri Lanka government decides to release suspects of possessing less than 2g of drugs

Sri Lanka government has decided to consider the suspects of cases of possessing less than two grams of heroin as drug addicts and to grant them bail, fine or rehabilitate them as a measure to reduce the congestion in prisons.

Minister of Prison Reforms and Prisoners' Rehabilitation Sudarshani Fernandopulle further stated that over 7,000 drug-related convicts and suspects are in Sri Lanka's overcrowded prisons now. In the prisons built for about 12,000 prisoners, over 30,000 have been housed. 

Meanwhile, the COVID-19 cluster in prisons has exceeded 1,000 now. Prisoners under stress try to escape or agitate seeking release. 

Sri Lankan police officer-in-charge nabbed with wife while distributng heroin

Sri Lanka police has arrested a senior police officer and his wife under suspicion of drug dealing.

The arrested police officer is an Inspector of Police. He is M.D. Munasinghe, the Officer-in-Charge of the Wellampitiya police station.

He and his wife are suspected of engaging in distributing drugs. Police recovered 26.5 grammes of heroin from the police officer's official quarters. The value of the cache of heroin is well over Rs. 150,000.

The police officer and his wife were arrested by the Police Organised Crime Investigation Division and detained till January 6 with the Colombo Crime Division (CCD) to be questioned over their involvement in drug trafficking, the CCD reported to Colombo Magistrate today.

Colombo Crime Division arrested the police inspector yesterday evening and arrested his wife also this morning via information obtained from three suspects who obtained about 25 grams of heroin from this police officer.