International support has been secured to extradite criminals wanted in Sri Lanka against whom Interpol Red Notices have been issued, Inspector General of Police Priyantha Weerasooriya said.
Red Notices have been issued against 73 suspects, the IGP said, adding that notices may also be sought against a further 100 suspects.
He said Sri Lanka’s continuing anti-narcotics operations had drawn international recognition.
No threats received, IGP says
Asked whether the operations had produced external pressure or threats, Weerasooriya said he had received no such threats so far. He said, however, that those who had supported or invested in the illegal drug trade had been affected by the crackdown.
The IGP also dismissed concerns over political statements made against him, saying such matters would not intimidate the police and that officers remain prepared to face any challenge in the line of duty.
Figures reported over the year
A Red Notice is an Interpol request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition. It is the main instrument Sri Lanka uses to pursue suspects who have left the country.
Police figures reported this year have varied in both size and basis. In May, Police Media Spokesman ASP F. U. Wootler said 89 Red Notice suspects remained abroad as eight men were flown back from the United Arab Emirates. In April, police said eight organised crime figures were in foreign custody with extradition proceedings under way. NewsFirst’s report of the IGP’s remarks does not state whether the 73 refers to notices currently in force, to a particular category of suspect, or to a different count from those cited earlier, and the discrepancy was not explained.
The remarks come as police pursue several high-profile fugitives. Drug trafficker Shiran Basik was brought back from Dubai this week and handed to the Central Crimes Investigation Bureau, which has since obtained a 72-hour detention order against him.
Separately, an Audit Office report this week found that 709 prisoners who escaped custody remain at large.
