Kadawatha, 17 September 2025 — President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has issued a stark warning about the existence of a “deep state” operating beneath Sri Lanka’s formal institutions, driven by armed organized crime networks and political collusion. Speaking at the inauguration of the Kadawatha–Mirigama section of the Central Expressway, the President described how decades of political decay and legal collapse have allowed a parallel criminal state to flourish.
“This underground state mirrors the visible one,” he said, “but it is built on social crimes, drug trafficking, and political corruption. Without dismantling it, we cannot build a stable, secure future for our children.”
Criminal Networks and Political Collusion
President Dissanayake revealed that the recently arrested group controlled nearly 50% of Sri Lanka’s drug network and maintained ties with 75% of armed criminal gangs. Investigations have uncovered evidence of financial links between these networks and political authorities, including monthly payments to sitting and former MPs and ministers.
“This is not just organized crime—it is institutionalized criminality,” the President said. “We are confronting a deep state that has infiltrated politics, law enforcement, and public trust.”
State Response and Reform Pledge
The President affirmed that law enforcement agencies, including the Police Department, have been entrusted with the mandate to suppress these networks. He emphasized that the current administration will not tolerate corruption and pledged to build a political culture that does not steal or squander public resources.
“We are committed to creating a political authority that is clean, accountable, and immune to the influence of criminal syndicates,” he said.
Context: The Deep State in Sri Lanka
The term “deep state” has increasingly entered public discourse in Sri Lanka, referring to entrenched networks of power that operate beyond democratic oversight. These include criminal gangs, corrupt officials, and political actors who manipulate institutions for personal gain. President Dissanayake’s remarks mark one of the most direct acknowledgments of this phenomenon by a sitting head of state.
As Sri Lanka grapples with economic recovery and transitional justice, dismantling the deep state may prove essential to restoring public confidence and democratic integrity.