Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala said that the 1818 hotline introduced to obtain public information on drug trafficking has received more than 800 complaints so far, with around 800 of them reported within the past four days alone.
The Minister made these remarks during the Colombo District Operation Program of the ‘Ratama Ekata’ National Program to Eradicate Toxic Drugs, held today (09) at the Colombo District Secretariat.
He noted that information regarding drug operations has even come from schools, and the complaints received have already been handed over to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) for further action.
“About 800 phone calls were received in the first four days after the 1818 hotline was launched. These details have been forwarded to the IGP. Raids are being carried out. A significant amount of information is coming from the Colombo District,” he stated.
The Minister further added that 5,300 suspects have been arrested within the first four days of police operations carried out under the anti-drug program.
“We observed a large spread of drugs in the Colombo District through these operations,” he said.
