Speaking at an event to mark the launch of the initiative, titled ‘United as a Nation – National Drive’, the leftist leader, whose government came to power a year ago, warned police officers reportedly involved in narcotics networks of tough action. “Leave immediately! Otherwise, we will remove you,” President Dissanayake said, adding that the prevalent opinion that the drug menace could be resolved if the police department is cleansed, “is true”. 

Located along a crucial shipping route, Sri Lanka has been grappling with the entry of narcotics substances over many years. While the island was earlier used mostly as a transit hub by international pedlars, the problem of trafficking and drug use within the island has grown significantly over the last few years, according to officials. Youth, in particular, have been affected, making the drug problem a serious concern for parents across the country.

According to data published by the National Dangerous Drugs Control Board, Sri Lanka police made 228,450 drug-related arrests last year, including through a controversial operation launched by the last government, where thousands were arrested amid concerns of rights violations.

This year, nearly 2,00,000 individuals have been arrested, according to police records, for alleged possession of narcotic substances, including heroin, cocaine, “Ice” or methamphetamine and cannabis. On October 26, 2025, an Indian national was apprehended at the Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo with a stash of heroin, weighing nearly 3 kilos and worth millions, concealed in his luggage. He was travelling from Malaysia, police said.

“Much of the drugs entering Sri Lanka come from Pakistan and Afghanistan,” a senior official told The Hindu, requesting anonymity, citing sensitivity of the government’s new initiative. “Some types come from Europe and India as well. We now have the support of the international community to target these networks both in land and sea in our respective territories,” he said.

Not just the police, but Sri Lanka’s military has also been accused of being complicit in narcotics networks. In a recent parliamentary address, Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) leader and Jaffna District MP Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam said members of the military played “a central role” in drug peddling and use across Tamil-majority districts in the island’s north and east, “deliberately fostering” drug addiction among Tamil youth. Drug use took root in Jaffna after it came under military occupation in 1995, and worsened after 2009, when the civil war ended, the legislator said, contending that the use of drugs was “non-existent” when the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) controlled the areas. “It is affecting our society like a cancer,” he said.

With President Dissanayake’s emphasis on eradicating the problem, officials said even police and military personnel will not be spared. “In fact we have arrested many suspects from the police force and military in this connection,” the senior official said. The government aims to build awareness at the village level, and is preparing to set up infrastructure to support and rehabilitate users in all districts, according to officials.