A total of 11,970 people aged 21 and below were arrested in connection with drug trafficking in 2025 and 2026, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said on Thursday.

He was speaking at an event marking the first anniversary of the “Nation United” (Ratama Ekata) national drug eradication programme, where he presented figures on arrests and seizures.

According to the President, 10,889 of those arrested were aged between 18 and 21, 1,068 were aged between 14 and 18, and 13 were children aged between 5 and 14. He said 50 schoolchildren were among them. Of the total, 11,737 were male and 233 were female.

Dissanayake said around 200 girls had been arrested within a year. He warned that the spread of drugs was destroying the country’s next generation and putting its future at risk. “We will not allow this to continue. We will defeat it,” he said.

The President also gave figures for narcotics seized over the same period. A total of 15,285 kilograms of drugs was confiscated, made up of 6,526 kilograms of ICE (crystal methamphetamine), 4,009 kilograms of heroin, 2,595 kilograms of other narcotics, 1,841 kilograms of Kush and hashish, and 314 kilograms of cocaine.

He reiterated the government’s commitment to combating drug trafficking and protecting young people.

Background

The figures were released at the first anniversary event of the Ratama Ekata programme, a national campaign against drugs run by the government. The age bands the President used cover schoolchildren, young adults and children of primary-school age, and the figures count arrests in connection with trafficking rather than convictions.

Arrest figures show how many people police and other agencies have detained. They do not show how many of those arrested have been charged or found guilty, and the President did not give that information in the remarks reported.

What it means

The statistics point to young people as a large share of those arrested, and the President’s remarks put the focus on schoolchildren and teenagers. Parents and schools in Sri Lanka are likely to face continued attention on the issue, as the President said the government would keep up the campaign.

Readers who want to check the figures should note that they are the President’s statement at the event, and that no breakdown by district or by the type of offence was given in the remarks reported.