Breaking politico-narco nexus

FOR decades, we have known of a sinister alliance that few dare to name openly, the ‘politico-narco complex.’ It has long been known that the narcotics trade, especially at the scale seen on our shores, cannot thrive without the protection and patronage of politicians and, at times, the tacit cooperation of law enforcement.

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The sad reality is that while we had heard of record-breaking drug busts worth billions of rupees, these seizures seldom translated into the arrest or conviction of the masterminds who orchestrate such massive operations. The small-time peddlers and carriers are sacrificed at the altar of “justice,” while the true architects of the trade remained untouched, shielded by political influence and deep-rooted networks of corruption.

The importation, storage, and distribution of narcotics demand not only resources and logistics but also silence from those who ought to be protecting the State. A shipload of drugs does not dock in Colombo without someone turning a blind eye. A container of heroin does not vanish from a port unless certain officials have been paid off. And yet, despite public outrage, the so-called “kingpins” remained safely out of reach, their power fortified by illicit money that has for years greased the wheels of our political machine.