Commissioner General of Prisons Calls for Death Penalty for Major Drug Traffickers

COLOMBO (News 1st); Commissioner General of Prisons Jagath Weerasinghe has stated that large-scale drug traffickers should be sentenced to death, emphasising that such individuals are destroying an entire nation.

He made these remarks while participating in a program held in Nawalapitiya, focused on raising awareness among school students about the dangers of drugs.

Speaking during the event, the Commissioner General revealed that Sri Lanka currently has 36 prisons, which together can accommodate a maximum capacity of 10,500 inmates. 

However, he noted that nearly 36,000 prisoners are currently being held, of whom around 65% are incarcerated for drug-related offences.

Weerasinghe further disclosed that 42 children under the age of five are living inside prisons — 19 boys and 23 girls — as a result of crimes committed by their mothers.

He also said that 805 men and 21 women currently face the death penalty within the prison system.

Commenting on organised crime, Weerasinghe observed that the Southern Province has become the leading region for underworld activities, questioning how such a well-educated society had transformed into one where people kill for hire.

He warned that the misuse of drugs, alcohol, and modern technology is driving youth towards dangerous behaviour, and highlighted the severe impact of synthetic drugs, which he described as chemically composed substances capable of killing users within just two years of use.

Weerasinghe stressed that the ongoing drug menace is destroying generations, adding that those involved in large-scale drug trafficking must inevitably face execution, as their actions threaten the very fabric of the nation.