The Hon. (Mrs.) M.A.C.S. Chathuri Gangani

¶ 01 Thank you, Hon. Deputy Chairperson. Today we debate amendments to the Judicature Act (No. 2 of 1978) and to the Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs Ordinance. The core objective of both is to prohibit and suppress narcotics trafficking on the high seas. The drugs amendment criminalizes manufacture, possession, and trafficking on the high seas. The judicature amendment vests jurisdiction for all such offences committed on the high seas in the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka.

¶ 02 Our maritime zone sits astride one of the world’s busiest sea lanes; about 80 percent of global energy cargoes move by sea. The Indian Ocean is the world’s third largest ocean. According to UNODC (2024), narcotics trafficking is rampant in the Eastern Indian Ocean, with Sri Lanka and the Maldives serving as exchange, hub, and distribution centres—especially along our Southern and Northern coasts.

¶ 03 Over decades, drug abuse has crept into every corner, engulfing all social strata. UNODC (2025) estimates around 316 million people worldwide suffer from drug use disorders, with a 13 percent increase in drug-related morbidity by 2025. In Sri Lanka, 97,416 were apprehended in 2020; by 2024, that figure had surged to 228,450. These are not just numbers; they are lives. Over 64 percent of prisoners are incarcerated due to drug offences. The most affected are youth aged 18–24. Families lose parents and children to this scourge.

¶ 04 Among those over 30 apprehended: 13,621 for heroin, 20,076 for cannabis, and 11,494 for methamphetamine (“ice”). Women affected are also rising: cannabis-related arrests of women doubled from 326 (2020) to 621 (2024); heroin-related from 260 (2020) to 530 (2024). Institutions meant to protect the public were once complicit, enabling the spread.

¶ 05 Mothers in my constituency plead to “even jail my only child to save him.” We have seen their pain and launched the “The Whole Nation Together – Let’s Get Out” National Operation against Drugs on 30 October 2025. In just three months, seizures included over 300 kg heroin, 1,280 kg methamphetamine, over 6 kg cocaine, 2,341 kg cannabis, and 44 kg hashish; many major traffickers were arrested. With INTERPOL support, suspects were apprehended in Indonesia, the UAE, and Nepal. About 1,449 persons are under rehabilitation. With national-level coordination, legal frameworks, and today’s Bills, we move towards ending this menace.

¶ 06 Thank you.