President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has made explosive allegations about a deeply entrenched nexus connecting organised crime, political influence, corruption, and extortion, vowing to dismantle what he described as a criminal ecosystem that has operated for years under political protection.
Addressing Parliament during the adjournment debate on combating the drug menace and organised crime, the President said criminal gangs and narcotics networks did not emerge in isolation but were sustained by powerful political and institutional networks. He stressed that the Government’s fight would extend beyond drug traffickers and underworld figures to include intermediaries and those who used political authority to shield criminal activity.
The President revealed that money had allegedly been demanded in exchange for life itself, claiming that individuals had been asked to pay large sums to avoid being killed while in custody. He said payments were also allegedly sought to guarantee protection from death and even to secure the removal of detention orders under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA).
“Money is being taken to kill individuals without producing them before courts. Money is being taken with promises of protection from death. ‘Pay us if you don’t want to be killed. Pay us if you want protection from death. Pay us if you want to be removed from PTA detention orders.’ This is how political networks have become intertwined with these activities,” the President said.
Warning that such practices would no longer be tolerated, Dissanayake declared that no crime would be allowed to be “buried in the sands of time” and that every effort would be made to expose and dismantle the networks that enabled criminality. He insisted that investigations, arrests, prosecutions, and judicial proceedings would proceed without political interference.
“We will investigate, make arrests, file cases through the Attorney General’s Department, and ensure punishment through the judicial system,” he said.
The President also referred to a troubling history of alleged custodial killings and ransom demands, claiming that certain individuals had been killed after being taken into custody while payments were extracted from others in exchange for protection from similar fates.
Raising further concerns, he alleged that some politicians had maintained direct links with imprisoned drug traffickers. Referring to a specific case, he claimed that a political leader had exchanged 92 telephone calls with incarcerated drug dealers, including 54 outgoing calls, describing it as an example of the political patronage that had enabled organised crime to flourish.
“This is the political authority we are talking about. At the very least, have you taken disciplinary action against such individuals?” he asked, challenging political parties to take responsibility for those within their ranks.
According to the President, the failure to confront such conduct has allowed narcotics trafficking, organised crime, and violence to expand unchecked. He pledged that his Government would completely eliminate political protection for criminal activities and rejected suggestions that the ongoing investigations were motivated by political revenge.
“We will completely put an end to the protection provided by political authority to such activities. No one should call this political revenge,” he said.
Expanding on the Government’s approach, Dissanayake argued that combating organised crime requires dismantling the entire ecosystem that sustains it, including corrupt political actors, facilitators, and intermediaries. He said Sri Lanka’s current situation was the result of years of interference by such networks and emphasised that the Government had taken a policy decision to eradicate them all together.
The President also reaffirmed his administration’s broader reform agenda, stating that the public had entrusted the Government with a mandate to transform Sri Lanka into a disciplined, accountable, and law-abiding state. He maintained that the creation of a civilised state governed by the rule of law was central to that mandate and stressed that accountability would apply to all individuals, regardless of status or political affiliation.
In a significant policy announcement, Dissanayake further stated that the Prevention of Terrorism Act would be repealed before the end of the year, arguing that legal reforms must accompany efforts to strengthen justice, accountability, and public trust in State institutions.