Acting IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon announced that the Sri Lanka Police are preparing to dispose of over one tonne of heroin that has been seized in various raids by the police and other law enforcement agencies in Sri Lanka after the year 2022. He also mentioned that there is currently another significant amount of heroin, seized before 2022, being held by the government analyst department until the court cases are resolved. Tennakoon addressed concerns raised by the public regarding the handling of seized drugs, clarifying that there have been misconceptions and media reports suggesting that the confiscated drugs may have been mishandled or stolen. He assured the public that the police have successfully destroyed some of the seized drugs through court rulings. In a recent case, 107 kilograms of heroin seized by the Navy and the Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) in 2019 were incinerated at the Puttalam Cement Manufacturing Factory under the supervision of Puttalam Magistrate Mihil Chirantha Sathurusingha. Tennakoon further explained that with the enactment of the Poisons, Opium, and Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Bill in Parliament on October 19th, 2022, the Sri Lanka Police will now have the authority to promptly destroy seized drugs after analysis by the Government Analyst, without waiting for the conclusion of court cases. As a result, more than 1,000 kilograms of heroin seized after the enactment of the Amendment Bill in 2022 will be destroyed.
