The Southern Province records the highest number of students addicted to drugs and involved in underworld activities in Sri Lanka, according to Prisons Commissioner Jagath Weerasinghe.
He further revealed that more than 230,000 school students in the Colombo District are also addicted to drugs.
Addressing students at an awareness programme on drug eradication held at Godapitiya National School in Akuressa, Weerasinghe said that 230,980 students in the Colombo District of the Western Province were identified as drug users.
“The Southern Province is outpacing all others. It is the region that is pushing the country deeper into this crisis,” he said, emphasizing the strong link between organized crime and the growing student drug problem.
Weerasinghe added that the South ranks first in underworld-related activities as well.
He also revealed the presence of several children in prisons, stating, “There are 42 children under the age of five who are in prison because of their mothers’ mistakes. They are allowed to stay with their mothers until they turn five. After that, we have to separate them — one of the saddest situations we face.”
