Police probe ‘drug-planting’ allegations against cops

Police Headquarters has initiated a special investigation into accusations that three police officers, including two from the Panadura Walana Central Anti-Corruption Unit, have been planting narcotics and falsely accusing innocent individuals of drug-related offenses. This probe was launched following a complaint received by the Police Headquarters regarding a raid on Wednesday (26).

According to the complaint, these officers allegedly receive payments from drug traffickers and offer protection in exchange for false accusations against rivals and innocent civilians. The officers are linked to individuals known as "Kos Malli," "Chuwa Samantha," and "Kudu Avishka," who are believed to be involved in overseas-based drug trafficking and criminal activities.

The investigation also alleges that the officers have received significant sums of money from these drug traffickers and are involved in a scheme to implicate individuals in drug offenses. Complaints about their alleged activities have also been submitted to the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka. The officers are accused of not taking legal action against associates of the underworld figures named in the complaints, despite allegedly providing them protection.

The incident that sparked the complaint occurred on Wednesday when the officers allegedly arrested a young man after placing around 15 milligrams of narcotics on him. The youth had reportedly earned Rs. 125,000 by pawning a bracelet, but only around Rs. 75,000 was presented in court. The suspect later informed the Magistrate of the arrest circumstances and provided a pawn receipt as evidence.

He requested a laboratory analysis of the substance recovered from him, leading the Magistrate to order the narcotic to be sent to a Government Analyst for examination and a report to be obtained. Police Headquarters is now investigating the allegations further, including the actions of the involved officers and their connections to organized criminal networks.