Reports show that the number of illegal weapons in the country has increased recently, which authorities believe has been caused due to the illegal narcotics trade, and plan on increasing operations to address the problem.
Public Security Minister Tiran Alles told The Sunday Morning that the Special Task Force alone had seized 1,163 illegal firearms in the past three years, including revolvers, pistols, and T-56 and T-81 firearms.
Minister Alles also said that information had been received that firearms used for crimes that had occurred during this period had not been licensed and that illegal firearms had come into the country when drugs had been transported by sea.
“The weapons used in violent crimes were not licensed, so clearly they are from outside the country and are being brought in by drug smugglers,” he told The Sunday Morning.
Meanwhile, this issue was raised in Parliament last week, when Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna Kalutara District MP Sanjeeva Edirimanna queried about the illegal use of firearms in various shooting incidents and guns used for crimes in the country.
“This is a big problem. If there is an internal civil crisis in the country, such things are common. It seems that AK-47s are the only weapons that are not being used,” Edirimanna had said.
Responding to this, Minister Alles said that some of the firearms were those that had been brought to the south soon after the war had ended, while many other weapons had entered the country through the illegal drug trade.
“Firearms are everywhere as the state of war that prevailed for 30 years has now ended. Since then, more illegal firearms have entered the Southern Province.
“In particular, illegal firearms are brought in while transporting drugs by sea. For example, when 192 kg of heroin was seized in the Bandaragama Police area, 10 firearms and pistols were also seized. In the last three years, 1,163 T-56 and T-81 pistols and revolvers have been seized in the country by the Special Task Force. We are implementing all possible operations in the country to suppress these activities,” he said.
The Minister of Public Security said that a programme had been commenced to establish Police stations or Police checkpoints in selected locations in the Southern Province and that this work was being undertaken to curb underworld activities and drug dealers in the province.
He pointed out that the existence of underworld crime and drug trafficking was a serious obstacle for the tourism industry in the Southern Province, adding that he would discuss the matter with the Minister of Tourism.
“We have to increase operations and go after all drug dealers and those involved in organised crime. That is the only way to curb the use of illegal firearms and confiscate them,” he told The Sunday Morning.
Increased shooting incidents
Meanwhile, Police Spokesman SSP Nihal Thalduwa said that 27 shooting incidents had taken place in the first six months of 2023.
“There have been 27 shooting incidents during the first six months of this year alone, which have caused 19 deaths.”
He said the Police were conducting raids to curb the issue.
“We carry out as many raids as possible throughout the country, which is how we are tackling the issue of illegal firearms being used – we confiscate them.”
He also pointed out that some of the weapons that were apprehended were locally made.
“Many of these weapons are uncovered during narcotics raids. We might find a 100 kg of heroin along with a number of small firearms such as revolvers and ammunition. It is clear that many, if not most, of the illegal firearms are entering the country through the illegal narcotics trade. Many weapons are also locally-made guns.”
Military involvement
Ministry of Defence Director Media/Spokesman Lt. Col. Nalin Herath said that the military had stepped up operations to curtail illegal weapons from entering the country.
“We have strengthened our intelligence networks regarding illegal weapons. The Navy is also on alert 24/7 throughout the year to apprehend any weapons that might be entering the country across the sea. As most of the guns are brought in by drug smugglers who use the sea to conduct their illegal activities, the Navy will play a key role in stopping weapons from entering the country. We also plan on using advanced technology to uncover such weapons.”
He assured that no weapons belonging to the military were being leaked.
“Our armouries are fully secure. All weapons are counted on a daily basis. We have made sure that there is zero chance that any weapon can be illegally taken out of an armoury, so there is no chance that weapons are leaking from the military. These weapons are mainly from the illegal drug trade and some are even homemade weapons.”