Sri Lankan military intelligence is allegedly behind a systematic programme of narcotics trade in the North and East of Eezham Tamils homeland, aiming the Tamil students as the target group, reliable sources in Jaffna told TamilNet Friday. On Thursday, three narcotics traders, including the distributors from South, were arrested on Somasundaram Road near the District Secretariat of Jaffna, while they were distributing narcotics. Narcotics dealers sent from South engage in the trade involving former members of Tamil paramilitary groups, news sources further said. However, the Sri Lankan police remained tight-lipped on the arrest of southern narcotics drug dealers on Thursday in the area having leading Tamil schools.
The latest report of the arrest comes following a recent incident in which some students of a key educational institution in Jaffna were arrested while using narcotics.
The Tamil students were brought to the court and were released with obligatory participation in a drug rehabilitation program.
The informed sources in Jaffna further said that the SL military intelligence operatives were behind promoting the distribution of narcotics among Tamil students.
Recently, there were also reports of SL soldiers involved in growing marijuna plants in the vicinity of SL military camps in Thenmaraadchi. Some of these were reportedly detected and destroyed by the SL Police although there is no independent way of verifying such destruction.
Most of the men arrested for narcotic trafficking into the Jaffna peninsula in the recent times have explained to the SL Police that they were bringing in narcotics for the consumption of the SL soldiers.
However, the drug flow from the South has continued under the camouflage of ‘intended’ consumption for the occupying SL soldiers, targeting the Tamil student community, as evident from the recent incidents, the news sources further said.
Apart from the narcotics, the alcohol consumption among the youth has increased by 200 per cent in Jaffna during the past two years, according to medical staff at the Teaching Hospital of Jaffna.
The occupying SL Army has been also conducting ‘socialising events’ with free distribution of beer to Tamil students.
Alcoholic beverages were on sale targeting youth in a recent military event held at Duraiappa Stadium.
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