Sri Lanka Police have begun steps to confiscate illegal assets worth Rs. 1,104 million, Police Media Spokesperson Assistant Superintendent F. U. Wootler said on Friday.
The holdings comprise property and housing valued at Rs. 978.9 million, vehicles worth Rs. 109 million and cash of Rs. 14 million, NewsFirst reported. Police described the vehicles and cash as frozen rather than forfeited — freezing is a preliminary step, and property vested in the State depends on the outcome of High Court proceedings.
The three figures sum to Rs. 1,101.9 million, Rs. 2.1 million short of the stated total. Police did not account for the gap.
How the figure compares
The total is far smaller than two figures the same force gave in August. At a briefing on 25 August, police put assets targeted over three years at Rs. 3,878 million; four days later they said Rs. 5,995 million had been frozen across 113 investigations since September 2024. Friday’s briefing does not state what period or case set the Rs. 1,104 million covers, so it cannot be read as a decline — the scope is simply unstated.
Red Notices
Wootler said 43 suspects subject to Interpol Red Notices have been returned to Sri Lanka from 2023 to date, along with 38 suspects not subject to such notices, and that 95 Red Notice suspects remain abroad.
Police counts in this area have moved repeatedly and on shifting baselines. In May the same spokesperson said 89 Red Notice suspects were overseas; on 13 August police said notices had been issued for 93 suspects; the IGP said two days later that 73 notices were in force; and the 25 August briefing gave 42 returned since 2024 with 109 more sought. Friday’s 43 is measured from 2023, a different starting year, so it does not necessarily represent one additional repatriation.
Hotline and arrests
The 1818 hotline set up for drug-related tip-offs has received 7,071 complaints to date, Wootler said. He added that 9,105 children have been arrested for drug-related offences since 30 October last year.
That last figure is not reconcilable with the one police gave on 31 July, when they reported 743 children aged 14 to 18 arrested over nine months of the “Ratama Ekata” operation, alongside 7,866 young adults. Those two bands together came to 8,609 — close to Friday’s 9,105 — which suggests the newer number may cover both groups rather than children alone. Police did not define the term or explain the jump.
Not reported
NewsFirst does not name the suspects whose assets are involved, break the total down by case, say which court or division is handling the confiscations, or state how much previously frozen property has actually been vested in the State. No other verified newsroom had filed on the briefing at the time of writing; Ada Derana’s listing pages remained unreachable, and the Daily Mirror and Hiru had not yet carried it.
