The Hon. Darmapriya Wijesinghe

¶ 01 [11.13 a.m.]

¶ 02 Hon. Speaker, at the time of adjournment today, I move:

¶ 03 “Organized crime gangs, drug trafficking and politics have, until recently, operated in a mutually dependent and mutually reinforcing social ecosystem. With the people’s victory in 2024, the political support to this vicious cycle was withdrawn, and law enforcement agencies became genuinely independent.

¶ 04 However, that alone will not defeat this challenge. Underestimating the enemy, or taking too long to dismantle them, will be costly. Laws must be updated to enable the seizure of billions in illicit proceeds accumulated through organized crime and drug trafficking, and to apprehend those criminals in line with present and future challenges.

¶ 05 Likewise, swiftly identifying and enforcing the law against individuals involved in organized crime gangs and drugs across the country, and making society safer, is a duty and responsibility shared by all citizens.

¶ 06 Accordingly, I propose that this Honourable House, and indeed the people of the country, extend support to the Government’s ‘Nation Together’ programme which is to be implemented.”

¶ 07 Hon. Speaker, our people have endured decades of oppression, plunder, frustration, fear of life and death. We have ended that long period and are moving towards a new journey of renewal. But we all know this is only the beginning; much more remains to be done. The past decades saw the intertwining of trafficking, underworld, and corrupt politics. One such nexus—drugs, the underworld, and the politics that protected them—was ended by the new administration in 2024. But ending political protection alone does not reverse everything. Recent months saw much concern here about shootings and murders. We know which underworld groups and the politics that backed them were involved. Even after the change in politics, this wave has not fully abated. We must decisively change course, and for that a new national programme is required. The Government is taking steps accordingly.

¶ 08 By way of example, I present findings from a survey in the Gampaha District, Negombo area, conducted by Dr. Henry Rosariyo, a medical practitioner and former UNP municipal councillor, who voluntarily runs a rehabilitation programme for drug dependents with their families. In 2018, he identified 100 drug users from each of 39 Grama Niladhari divisions in Negombo—approximately 3,900 users. In 2018 a single “packet” cost Rs. 2,000, with new users consuming at least two per day (Rs. 4,000). Across one GN division with 100 users, that meant Rs. 400,000 circulating daily; across 39 divisions, about Rs. 15.6 million per day; roughly Rs. 468 million per month in Negombo alone. He notes the median daily spend now is even higher. This massive cash flow fuels violence as rival groups armed themselves, exchanged fire, and killed to protect and expand their criminal “economy,” previously bolstered by political protection.

¶ 09 You may recall a time when, during a special task force operation surrounding a house of a politician linked to the drug trade in Negombo, the then Executive President arrived and shielded him, calling him “my man.” That is how the underworld, drug trafficking, and politics were intertwined. This must end, and a programme is needed for that.

¶ 10 Accordingly, on the 30th, under the leadership of the President, at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium, we will launch the “Nation Together” national operation against narcotics. I invite all Members of this House and the people to join this effort and contribute to this anti-drug programme.

¶ 11 Thank you, Hon. Speaker.