Drug mules and the rising spectre of drug usage

According to the National Dangerous Drugs Control Board (NDDCB), the number of drug-related arrests reached 152,979 in 2022

Two days ago, the British tabloid ‘Daily Mail’ highlighted a story of a young British woman who was apprehended at the Katunayake airport with 46 kg of ‘Kush’—a potent strain of cannabis—in her possession. We will refer to the young woman as Ms X, as she has not been found guilty of any crime as yet. The market value of the drug the young lady carried is estimated to be approximately 1.2 million sterling pounds!

The carrier or mule claims she was not aware of the 46 kg which was in her luggage! Curiouser and curiouser, one could hardly imagine anyone not realising their baggage was quite overweight, given that 46 kg of stuff was stuffed into her bag. 

According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, it is estimated that there are currently about 45,000 regular users of heroin and about 600,000 users of cannabis in Sri Lanka. It is further estimated that between 1–2 % of heroin users are IDUs. 

Lanka has witnessed a troubling rise in drug addiction among its younger population. According to the National Dangerous Drugs Control Board (NDDCB), the number of drug-related arrests reached 152,979 in 2022. Alarmingly, a significant proportion of these arrests involved individuals aged 15 to 25, highlighting the vulnerability of the youth to substance abuse.

Recognising the urgency of the issue, the government has implemented several policies and initiatives to combat drug addiction. But the numbers of users keep growing. Last year, enquiries made by this paper revealed that most of our hospitals were overcrowded because of overdoses of drug addicts, whom hospitals were forced to accept.

Media reports indicate that currently, 65% of the prison population is linked to drug-related offences. This staggering statistic highlights the severity of the drug crisis and the urgent need for collective action to prevent future generations from falling victim to this growing threat.

Despite numerous efforts by the government to combat this growing menace, drug traffickers relentlessly find ways to bring these dangerous substances to the public, no matter the consequences. As a result, the number of people, both young and old, who are secretly using drugs continues to rise daily.

In fact, health experts disclosed at a Select Committee of parliamentthat three times the money the government earns from cigarettes and alcohol is spent on the treatment of drug addicts.

Back to the young British woman who was arrested at the Katunayake airport a few days ago. The haul of drugs, which according to the Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) was the largest ever amount of illegal substances found in the airport, was intended for ‘high-end local buyers’.

In other words, the drugs were intended for young local users… and it is from this point of view that we have to judge the young lady who brought in this lethal cargo into our country. It targeted the children of our country. Therefore, very stringent measures should be taken against such persons.

Social events, particularly parties, have become hotspots for drug use, with “Facebook parties” being of particular concern. In a recent operation, the Ragama Police raided one such event where drugs were being consumed. Several of those arrested were school children.

Drug wars, which started on a small scale in the 1980s when heroin first began entering the country, have now escalated to a serious level. Drug lords have even taken to bumping each other off, even in the well of the court. It calls for an all-out war on drugs and all those behind the trade.

The proliferation of illegal weapons in the country has led to widespread violence, with some killings being revenge attacks while others are related to a division of the spoils.

The British tabloid ‘Daily Mail’ mourns the lack of ‘facilities’ provided to the accused British drug pusher now held in the Negombo prison.   

Rather than cry over the fate of a drug pusher who has been caught with drugs in hand, it would perhaps be better if the tabloid made an effort to combat the causes which led the young woman to get involved in a business which trades in human suffering and misery.