Majority of drug traffickers in Sri Lanka are females

COLOMBO — Justice and Prisons Reforms Minister Thalatha Atukorale says that on the list of death row prisoners selected for hanging, the first one is a woman.

Addressing a ceremony held at the Kahawatte Divisional Secretariat to distribute cheques among the victims of recent floods and natural disasters on Saturday,  the Minister  said “The President has ordered that the death row inmates condemned to death for drug related offenses must be hanged and he will give  presidential approval to hang them. He also ordered the list of inmates qualified for hanging. Prisons authorities submitted the list to the ministry and I checked it. I am sad to say that on the top of that list is a woman. The first to be hanged will be a woman who engaged in drug dealing.”

Atukorale revealed  that the highest number of heroin traffickers in the country were women. As per the recent records of drug traffickers on gender basis, the majority of drug traffickers were of the weaker sex.

“We should be saddened to see that women are engaged in drug trafficking ,which ultimately lead to  the destruction of lives of children of another women.”

“When we took over this country, it was a paradise of criminals. The country was a hub of drug traffickers. It is sad that some officials too are involved in this. We know that some prison officials too collaborate with drug dealers. Some drug ‘King Pins’ operate from Welikada prison. They have the help of prisons officials. We have informed police to take action against the prison officials who work hand in glove with drug dealers. Prison officials would not like it, but we have to do the right thing and bring them to justice,” she said.