At least twenty-five persons were taken into custody this week alone under narcotics-related charges in Jaffna district, police said.
All of them are under 38 years old, including a 16-year-old boy detained for engaging in drug smuggling activities.
Earlier this week, eleven people were taken into custody for possessing narcotics in their custody during police search operations carried out in the suburban regions. Police investigations are underway over the arrested individuals as police stepped up a crackdown on the smuggling of narcotics in the province.
Speaking at Parliament this week, Jaffna district MP Gajendra Kumar Ponnambalam alleged military is responsible for narcotics smuggling activities in the North, as the region is heavily militarized, with most of the Northern coastal regions filled with naval camps and bases.
He questioned how drug peddling became so normalized with easy access in the North, where a significant military presence still remains, even after sixteen years have passed since the end of the war. (Northeastern Monitor/ October 25/ 2025)
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