Welcoming the recent recovery of 70 kgs of heroin by the police, Sri Lanka National Congress leader Justice and Law Reforms Minister Milinda Moragoda said a special effort was needed to clear Colombo and its suburbs of heroin users and suppliers.

Minister Moragoda told The Island that Colombo was the worst affected, though heroin use was rampant in many other areas. He expressed confidence that law enforcement authorities could focus on wiping out the heroin menace, now that the LTTE had been eradicated.

The minister said that during his recent meeting with low-income sections of Colombo North, South and Central, many people appealed for tough action against heroin use and peddling. According to him, the situation had deteriorated during the election period, but politicians were turning a blind eye.

According to latest statistics, there are 17,408 drug users and around 5,000 addicts in the prison system.

Since Moragoda took over the Justice and Law Reforms Ministry last July, he has initiated action to build special drug rehabilitation centres at Pallekelle and Weerawila to accommodate those now held in the prison system.

He emphasised that nothing could be as important as eradicating the groups engaged in bringing in heroin and their local distribution networks.

Of the 70 kgs of heroin in two separate detections, the Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) had recovered 40 kgs and the rest by the Kalpitiya police. A senior police official told The Island that both stocks had been brought into the country by one group, widely believed to be one of the major operators active along the north-western coast. The police said that this was the single biggest detection in the country.

The official said that following the detection made by the Kalpitiya police, the PNB had arrested a person wanted for questioning regarding the heroin haul. "We took him as he was about to check in at the Bandaranaike International Airport," he said. Under interrogation, he led the PNB to a hideout in the Chilaw police division, where over 40 kgs of heroin buried in sand was found.

The suspect had claimed that he had worked for non-Cabinet fisheries minister Neomal Perera, who is contesting from the Puttalam district on the UPFA ticket. Police said that there was no truth in the suspect’s claim.

The PNB recently detected nine kilos of heroin in the Dehiwela police area. Police said the PNB had caused heavy damage to heroin suppliers’ network by arresting 10 Pakistani passport holders attempting to smuggle in heroin. DIG Sisira Mendis took over the PNB last June after he relinquished the post of Director, CID.

Police said recent detections would cause a severe shortage of heroin supply not only in Colombo but in the provinces. Sources said that they were on alert to thwart attempts to move in supplies from overseas destinations to meet the shortfall.