Commissioner General of Prisons Jagath Weerasinghe has called for the death penalty for large-scale drug traffickers, warning that such criminals are destroying the nation.
He made these remarks during a program in Nawalapitiya aimed at educating school students about the dangers of drugs.
Weerasinghe revealed that Sri Lanka has 36 prisons with a total capacity of 10,500 inmates, but nearly 36,000 prisoners are currently held, around 65% of whom are incarcerated for drug-related offences.
He also disclosed that 42 children under the age of five are living in prisons—19 boys and 23 girls—due to crimes committed by their mothers.
According to Weerasinghe, 805 men and 21 women currently face the death penalty in Sri Lankan prisons.
Highlighting the rise of organised crime, he noted that the Southern Province leads in underworld activities and questioned how a well-educated society had become one where people commit murders for hire.
He warned that the misuse of drugs, alcohol, and modern technology is pushing youth toward dangerous behaviour, particularly the use of synthetic drugs, which he said can kill users within just two years.
Weerasinghe stressed that the drug menace is destroying generations and reiterated that individuals involved in large-scale drug trafficking must face execution, as their actions threaten the very fabric of the nation.
