The Supreme Court has dismissed the appeal filed against the death sentence handed down to drug kingpin Gampola Vidanage Samantha Kumara, alias “Wele Suda”, who was convicted of heroin trafficking, Ada Derana reported.
A three-judge bench comprising Justices Mahinda Samayawardhena, Arjuna Obeyesekere and Sobitha Rajakaruna issued the order after considering submissions presented by Additional Solicitor General Lakmali Karunanayake, appearing on behalf of the Attorney General.
The ruling closes the appellate track on one of Sri Lanka’s most prominent narcotics convictions, leaving the death sentence in place. Capital punishment remains lawful in Sri Lanka but executions have not been carried out for decades, and successive governments have kept the moratorium even where death sentences have been confirmed by the Supreme Court.
The Wele Suda ruling lands amid an intensified state push against the trafficking networks. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s anti-narcotics campaign has by recent count crossed 186,000 arrests with 1,947 kilograms of heroin seized. A parallel international thread is unfolding over alleged trafficker Shiran Basik, reportedly arrested in Dubai with links to an Iranian network, and Police continue extradition work against Batuwatte Chamara.
