Sri Lanka Police have filed legal action against 4,750 drivers for drug-impaired driving in the first four months of 2026, a sharp increase on previous years that the traffic division attributes to expanded roadside testing.
Deputy Inspector General of Traffic Control and Road Safety W.P.J. Senadheera said the figure reflects a significant rise compared to past enforcement cycles, driven by sustained operations targeting drivers under the influence of narcotics.
“The number of motorists driving under the influence of drugs has risen sharply,” Senadheera said, adding that operations are continuing to identify drivers in the passenger transport sector.
Roadside checks are using the National Transport Medical Institute’s mobile laboratory, which allows officers to conduct on-the-spot drug screening rather than referring suspects to fixed testing facilities. The mobile lab capability has been a force multiplier for the traffic division’s narcotics enforcement.
The disclosure comes amid a broader anti-narcotics push under the NPP government’s “Rata Ekata” operation, which has logged more than 156,000 arrests and 1,917 kg of heroin seized since launching in October 2025. Drug-impaired driving has become a parallel enforcement front as testing capability expands beyond alcohol breathalysers.
Sri Lanka recorded approximately 2,000 road deaths in 2025, with police previously identifying drug and alcohol use as a major contributor alongside speeding and unsafe overtaking. The 4,750 figure for January through April 2026 puts arrests on pace to exceed full-year totals from prior cycles.
