Nearly 14,000 people have been arrested in a week-long crackdown on drug-related activities in Sri Lanka, police said on Sunday. According to an official statement, a special operation was conducted from Dec 17 to 24 which “resulted in the arrest of 13,666 suspects” with 717 of them subjected to further detention orders.
Among those detained, 174 individuals are currently under investigation for the possession of unlawfully acquired assets. Additionally, 1,097 drug addicts have been sent for rehabilitation, it said.
During the week-long operation, 1,107 suspects out of the 4,665 identified by the police narcotics bureau were also taken into custody. The operation was the brainchild of Sri Lanka’s new police chief Deshabandu Tennakoon, who assumed the position earlier this month for a three-month term. However, Tennakoon’s appointment has not been without controversy, as he recently faced legal challenges. On December 14, the Supreme Court ordered Tennakoon and three other policemen to pay compensation to a torture victim from an incident dating back to 2011.
