Sri Lanka Targets 67 Overseas Crime Lords with Interpol Red Notices

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Ministry of Public Security has announced that 67 Sri Lankan organized crime suspects hiding abroad have been targeted with Interpol Red Notices, as part of an intensified crackdown on transnational criminal networks.

Minister Ananda Wijepala stated that some of these individuals have used forged passports to evade detection, making it difficult to trace their exact whereabouts. However, intelligence has revealed the countries where many of them are currently hiding.

The Sri Lankan government is now working closely with the foreign ministries of those countries to facilitate their arrest and extradition.

According to the Minister, nearly 20 suspects have already been successfully brought back to Sri Lanka in recent months.

Investigations have revealed that a significant portion of the country’s drug trafficking and contract killings are being orchestrated by these overseas-based criminal syndicate members.

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) continues to lead inquiries into these networks, while a separate investigation is underway into immigration officials suspected of facilitating the creation of fake passports for these criminals.

Minister Wijepala also confirmed that anti-narcotics operations are ongoing without interruption, as part of the broader national security strategy.