Sri Lankan police have reported the arrest of nearly 15,000 people during a week-long raid against drug traffickers across the country. This is reported by UNN with reference to the Voice of America.
Details
Police said their operation, codenamed "Yuktia" or "Justice," led to the seizure of nearly 440 kilograms of drugs, including 272 kilograms of cannabis, 35 kilograms of hashish, and 9 kilograms of heroin.
The officers used sniffer dogs to conduct the searches. They also seized the cars and property of the alleged criminals.
Law enforcement officials believe that their island in the Indian Ocean is being used as a transshipment point for drug trafficking.
A police statement said that 13,666 suspects were arrested, and nearly 1,100 drug addicts were detained and sent to a military facility for compulsory rehabilitation.
Addendum
Police said the raids will be suspended over the Christmas holidays as officers must be deployed for security-related duties, but will resume after Tuesday, which is a Buddhist holiday.
At the same time, human rights activists emphasize that the police raids were illegal, as they were conducted without search warrants. They called on the victims to obtain the police officers' data in order to organize a lawsuit.
Recall
Sri Lanka, according to a new report by analysts at the AidData project at the University of William and Mary in Virginia, tops the list of countries that could host a Chinese naval base in the coming years as Beijing seeks to expand its maritime capabilities.