President's war on drugs: 15,530 suspects detained in 2 months

COLOMBO (News 1st): Authorities have been given instructions by President Maithripala Sirisena to further strengthen the raids into illegal drug smuggling. According to a statement by the President's Media Division, legal drafts are being compiled to give the police additional powers to carry out necessary action efficiently. The PMD says that raids related to illegal drug smuggling were strengthened during the last two months after President Sirisena moved the Police Department under the Ministry of Defence. The statement says that there is a significant improvement in the detection of illegal drugs following the move. Thus, within the past two months, police seized 280 kilograms of heroin and detained 15,530 suspects for illegal drug trafficking. These suspects are currently being prosecuted in several courts. The statement by the PMD says that police had seized 184 kilograms of heroin during the period from January 1, 2018 to October 31, 2018. Among this, a number of other programs have been launched under the direction of the President to address the spread of drugs in the country.