Ice rain in Middeniya and... A multifaceted strategy to fight the underworld in Sri Lanka

Haul found at Middeniya

However, if the alleged chemical substance, as described by the investigation agencies, is indeed a precursor chemical for methamphetamine production, the alleged haul of 50,000 kg (or 50 tons) would likely be one of the largest single seizures of this kind in the world

The politico-underworld nexus propelling the illicit drug trade has come to the surface for yet another time, after the police seized two containers of substances allegedly used for manufacturing crystal methamphetamine, popularly known by its street name, Ice.

Police seized a large stock of ‘chemical substances’ in the estate of a former Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna provincial councillor, Sampath Manamperi of Middeniya, based on information provided by underworld kingpin Backhoe Saman, who was recently extradited from Indonesia and is currently held at Colombo North Crime Division. Sampath has gone into hiding, and police have arrested his brother, Piyal Manamperi. Police have also discovered over 100 kilograms of a suspected substance in a house in Kandana.

The alleged chemical substance is believed to be destined for a meth lab set up by Kehel baddara Padme alias Mandinu Padmasiri Perera,  another underworld kingpin recently extradited from Indonesia. The two containers were reportedly cleared on January 27, this year, and later transported to Middeniya on January 29. The Police Spokesman had hurriedly added that they  were not among 323 red-flagged containers released by the Customs in January this year. 

Health and Media Minister Nalinda Jayatissa has told the media that the two containers had been cleared through the authorised customs process. Customs has launched an internal inquiry to identify lapses in the process, he said, adding that the CID has launched a separate investigation into the matter.

Intriguingly, though, none of the local agencies have revealed what the alleged substances are.

According to the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA), there are two primary methods for making crystal methamphetamine. The first method uses ephedrine or pseudoephedrine, which can be imported in bulk powder or extracted from medicinal products, and  it is mainly used in small-scale ‘kitchen’ laboratories.

The other method uses BMK (also called benzyl methyl ketone, or phenyl-2-propanone, ‘P-2-P’),an oil that can be imported or made from chemicals known as ‘designer precursors’. This is a method used in large-scale methamphetamine production.

Whether the substances discovered in Middeniya and Kandana fit these characteristics or the local kingpins have resorted to a different designer precursor is a matter for the local investigation agencies to establish.

 However, if the alleged chemical substance, as described by the investigation agencies, is indeed a precursor chemical for methamphetamine production, the alleged haul of 50,000 kg (or 50 tons) would likely be one of the largest single seizures of this kind in the world.

In comparison, all the EU states combined seized 35 tons of pre-precursor chemicals in 2020.

Probably the most likely scenario in the Sri Lankan case is that the metamphetamine itself, or its precursors, were smuggled through the regular customs channels, and concealed within these deceptively similar-looking substances. The government analyst has said the initial test revealed methamphetamine substance – not the precursor – in the samples. Reportedly, the stock of the alleged substance had been hidden under floor tiles.

It might help the law enforcement agencies to investigate the prospect of methamphetamine itself being smuggled into the country and trace the whereabouts of the illicit drug.

Bail for drug kingpins

Also, if Sri Lanka is to fight its underworld and the illicit heroin, meth, and other class A narcotics, which are deeply integrated with the underworld, the country should reconsider its legal system. The bail conditions that enable the release of underworld kingpins, whose extraditions were secured with immense effort,  after 90 days are a joke. The Secretary of Defence, within his powers, could issue detention orders under the Prevention of Terrorism Act against the underworld criminals until the conclusion of their legal cases. Kanjipani Imran, an underworld kingpin extradited from Dubai,  fled overseas soon after he was released on bail. 

Similarly, the government should establish specialised courts and expedite the legal process to effectively prosecute organised crimes. And organised criminals and underworld kingpins should be moved to a dedicated maximum prison manned by specially trained officials -- one controversial but vastly successful example is  in El Salvador. The Sri Lankan practice of locking up underworld criminals alongside petty first-time criminals and drug addicts encourages criminality, rather than abating it.

Sri Lanka also locks up way too many people in pre-trial detention. The country’s prison population is 35,054, which far exceeds the official capacity of 13,241, resulting in an occupancy level of 215%. An overwhel.ming two-thirds ( 70%  or approximately 24,783) of the prison population in this country are pre-trial detainees. With commonsense laws and bail conditions, Sri Lanka can address the problems with its needlessly overcrowded prisons.

Similarly, the vast majority of pre-trial and post-trial detainees are drug addicts, who should be in dedicated rehabilitation centres and not in prisons. The government can introduce laws mandating judges to direct drug addicts to a compulsory rehabilitation programme, including the option to choose a privately run programme, registered with the relevant authorities. 

However, bleeding heart liberalism has its limits, and the vast majority of drug addicts -- an overwhelming 80 percent heroin users -- relapse in the first year itself. Therefore, release conditions should be underwritten by regular check-ins by a dedicated agency.

Sri Lanka’s fight against the underworld should entail a multifaceted strategy. The underworld is only a part of a greater systemic malady. To fight illicit narcotics and the underworld that profits from their trade, the government should curb both the supply side and the demand side. It should mercilessly crack down on the underworld, like the President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador does, and it should mercifully send drug addicts to a rehab like the Swedes do. 

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