The Sri Lanka Police launched a special operation covering the entire island. Acting Police Inspector Deshabandu Tennakoon says that this operation, which has been in operation since the last 17, will be continued. The main objective of this operation is to curb the rising drug trafficking and crime wave. This particular operation is being implemented under the name of ‘Justice’, and steps have been taken to involve every police officer on the island. Suppressing drug trafficking and curbing the wave of organised crime is also an expectation of Sri Lankan society. Although some attention has been paid in the country to see if the police will act properly for that purpose, society is also paying attention to critical situations from various parties.
13,666 suspects arrested
It is also seen that this operation is being implemented with a particular focus on the Western, North-Western and Southern provinces. The police have arrested 13,666 suspects in the raids carried out across the island under ‘Operation Justice’ between 17.12.2023 and 24.12.2023, out of which detention orders have been obtained for 717 suspects and referred for further investigations. In the meantime, the Sri Lanka Police also announced that they have started investigations into the illegal assets of 174 suspects identified as traffickers. Also, steps have been taken to refer 1097 drug addicts for rehabilitation.
Drugs caught in seven days
Police Media Division announced that 09 kg of Heroin and 04.5 kg of Ice, 272 kg of Ganja, 117 kg of Mawa, 36 kg of Ash, 3 kg of Tool and 65924 pills were taken into police custody during the investigations carried out under the 07-day Justice Operation. Meanwhile, 944,651 ganja plants, 989 grams of hashish, and 520 grams of kush have also been found. The government has taken over property worth about 50 crores belonging to drug traffickers, and investigations have been carried out to seize another property worth more than 200 crores.
Criticism against Operation Justice – Why not get a warrant
However, it is also seen that some issues presented regarding the ‘Justice’ operation need to be in a positive state. Lawyers point out that, especially in this operation, a situation where legal matters are challenged is observed. They believe that even though the police have limited powers to search a house without a warrant obtained from the court, a situation is being monitored where the police are operating by exceeding those limits. Lawyer Hijaz Hezbollah has pointed out that getting permission from the court for such activities as planned operations is essential. He has also pointed out that the police have neglected that responsibility. Suppose there is a need to inspect houses or buildings in any area. In that case, it is possible to notify the court and obtain permission.
Arguing that there needs to be clarity on how this is being implemented, lawyer Hijaz Hezbollah has pointed out that it needs to be clarified whether the purpose of this is actually to fight crime. He has argued that the police have no power to enter houses in the middle of the night without a warrant and search them.
Human rights are being violated
Meanwhile, human rights activists have pointed out that Acting Inspector General of Police Deshabandu Tennakoon has carried out this operation for the image of his heroism in violation of court rulings related to torture. Places like nightclubs are where drug dealers hang out, and drug use is every day. Human rights activists ask why steps are not taken to raid such places if there is a need to arrest real people. Their serious allegation is that by reluctance to conduct operations around nightclubs, the police have avoided arresting real drug dealers.
Media reporting in violation of ethics
Meanwhile, the media is also supporting the ‘Justice’ operation extensively. Every day, people also call this a media show’. In this, the problem of people’s acceptance has also been created. Commenting on this matter, Tharindu Jayawardena of the Young Journalists’ Association has stated that the media is acting unethically in reporting information about the ‘Justice’ operation. Tharidu Jayawardena says this is similar to the situation observed during the Corona epidemic. He points out that institutions such as the Human Rights Commission and the News Department must intervene. Taridu Jayawardena recalled that during the Corona period, his association had also requested the above institutions to issue a series of guidelines to journalists and that in reporting the information of this operation, people have also been deprived of the opportunity to appear in public. The media is releasing memos in such a way that people who are not victims are also being made victims; without any investigation and without paying attention to the possible situations, the media has been brought into this operation. He emphasises that the information is also being presented.
No warrant is needed for this kind of operation – Sri Lanka Police
Meanwhile, the police emphasised that they would not stop this operation for any reason. Police Media Spokesman Senior Superintendent of Police Advocate Nihal Talduwa, who gave answers regarding the search of houses and persons without obtaining a court warrant in the “Justice” operation, stated that getting a warrant for the searches related to toxic drugs is not necessary. He also claims that it is an activity that could be more successful in practice.
He also points out that whether there is a warrant or not, if the owner of the house wishes, there will be no problem and that there is the possibility of drawing attention to it when he or she requests a warrant. However, if consent is obtained voluntarily, he thinks warrants are unnecessary.
The operation continues
Meanwhile, the Police Media Spokesman points out that although the operation was temporarily stopped for the Christmas holiday, it will be started again on the 27th to cover the whole island. He emphasises that there is no need to fear anyone, and this operation is being implemented to suppress the guilty criminals. The Police Media Spokesman, who said there would be no impact or prejudice to ordinary citizens, further emphasised that this operation is a program to ensure the safety of all Sri Lankans.
