The Ministry of Public Security, despite deeming the claim that certain Police stations tamper with evidence by mixing drugs found in the possession of suspects with various other substances and present the same to courts as being absurd, is to probe the same.
Minister of Public Security, Tiran Alles said that even though the accusation that certain Police stations mixing drugs found in the possession of suspects with various other substances and presenting them to courts cannot be accepted, the Ministry would however look into the same.
Minister of Justice, Prison Affairs and Constitutional Reforms, President's Counsel Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe recently claimed that certain Police stations have reported drug-related cases to courts falsely, and referred samples of certain substances, which in fact are not drugs, to the Government Analyst's (GA) Department. He had also sent a detailed letter on the matter to Alles.
When queried by The Daily Morning as to whether he had responded to Dr. Rajapakshe's letter, Alles said: “I do not accept this allegation for the simple reason that even the sellers mix heroin with certain other substances. Therefore, the Police might arrest a suspect with a packet of heroin and produce him/her to court, but it might not be 100% heroin when the relevant tests are done. So, how can we say that it is the Police that mixed it with something else?”
He further said that he does not think that the Police has the time to mix drugs that are found in the possession of suspects with other substances. “There is no reason for the Police to jail someone for no reason. The other thing is that I don’t think that the Police has the time to mix drugs with other substances and produce them before court when a suspect is arrested.”
When queried as to whether the Ministry would look into the allegation, he said: “I do not know on what basis he (Dr. Rajapakshe) has pointed fingers at the Police. Anyway, he has said this and we will consider it. However, my opinion is that if the sellers mix drugs with other substances, there is nothing that the Police can do.”
Speaking on the alleged reports of certain Police stations having reported drug-related cases to courts falsely, and referred samples of certain substances, which in fact are not drugs, to the GA's Department, Dr. Rajapakshe recently said that he had sent a detailed letter to Alles, requesting that an investigation be carried out into such incidents. He said that the matter could not be taken lightly as the GA's Department is spending about Rs. 20,000 for a sample test of drugs.