President Demands End to State-Crime Nexus

COLOMBO (News 1st); President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has sounded the alarm over the growing entanglement between organized crime and elements within the state apparatus, calling it a “national crisis” that demands immediate dismantling.

Speaking to officials during a high-level coordination meeting, the President painted a disturbing picture of how drug money and criminal networks have infiltrated state institutions, undermining the rule of law and national security.

“Crime has become a national crisis—one that is deeply rooted in the drug trade and the breakdown of law and order,” the President declared. “Shockingly, some state institutions are entirely under the influence of organized crime and drug money.”

He cited alarming examples, including state agencies allegedly producing number plates for armed criminal gangs and issuing multiple passports to individuals, facilitating their movement and operations.

In one particularly shocking incident, the President revealed that a bookseller from the Pettah bus stand was sent to provide fingerprints on behalf of a criminal applying for a passport. The system, he said, accepted the photo and processed the fingerprints without raising any red flags.

“Some officials within these institutions have become facilitators of criminal activity,” he said.

The President also disclosed that weapons from military camps have ended up in the hands of criminals, and that certain individuals within the police force have been complicit in these operations.

“This cannot continue. We must dismantle this system,” he asserted. “As the political leadership, we have a clear objective. The people of this country have expectations, and our mission is to fulfill them. You, the officials, are the critical middle layer in making this a success.”