Making Lanka The Hub Of Heroin?
Last week’s exposure in The Sunday Leader of allegations made against some notorious drug peddlers who are also alleged to be involved in crimes ranging from murder and extortion reveals the deterioration of the state of law and order in the country.
Even more dangerous than the crimes wreaked on citizens, particularly law abiding citizens, is the immunity enjoyed by some of those accused of the heinous crimes who are roaming scot free.
Some members of the Kelaniya Pradeshiya Sabha, while congratulating the Colombo Crimes Division of the Police for the arrest of a notorious drug peddler Kudu Nuwan for possession of heroin, have wondered whether he could be held behind bars for long because of the patronage extended to him by one whom they described as a very powerful politician. Kudu Nuwan is alleged to have murdered a mother and son in cold blood and also attempted the murder of another at Meetotamulla. Police have told The Sunday Leader that he smuggles the banned aphrodisiac drug Ecstasy to Sri Lanka through the Bandaranaike International Airport bypassing Customs Officers and peddles them at night clubs in Colombo and Hikkaduwa. These are million-dollar businesses.
Peddlers of heroin and other banned drugs being involved in dangerous crimes is a common feature in most crime ridden cities. The distinguishing feature about Lanka is that this alleged criminal receives open patronage from a so-called all powerful minister.
Kudu Nuwan first made big news when he featured with Mervyn Silva in a fiasco at the country’s national TV studios when Silva accompanied by Kudu Nuwan and others gate-crashed into the studio and assaulted a news editor for not relaying a speech made by him which was considered to be defamatory. A stunned TV audience in Sri Lanka watched a unique live TV film where irate employees of the studio bathed the tough talking minister Silva with paint while the overwhelmed Kudu Nuwan could only stand by and watch his patron. Silva is alleged to have taken revenge on the TV channel’s employees by continuing to attack them in the days that followed when they were returning home after work. The attacks ceased only after President Rajapaksa, at a press conference held with Rupavahini employees to which Silva was summoned, asked him to ‘lay off’. Although there were other associates of Kudu Nuwan present, only he was taken into police custody. SLFP General Secretary Maithripala Sirisena condemned Silva’s conduct at the SLRC studios and a committee was appointed to look into the incident. No disciplinary action was taken and instead, Silva was promoted to the rank of Cabinet Minister!
Our report quoted Kelaniya Pradeshiya Sabha members about Kudu Nuwan and his associates such as Kudu Lal, Sothi Chaminda, Kelaniye Nero, Kelaniye Maharaja and Eta Indika having extorted Rs 700 million from those who feared to make open statements against extortion carried out.
The space allotted for an editorial comment is not sufficient to detail the misdemeanors and antics of these politicians and their cohorts.
