Drug smuggling caused deadly Sri Lanka prison riot, says minister

By Uditha Jayasinghe

COLOMBO, July 7 (Reuters) – A riot in a Sri Lankan prison that killed 26 people and injured dozens was due to a clash between two groups over drug smuggling within the jail, a top official said on Tuesday. 

Two days of fighting between two groups of inmates at the prison in the coastal town of Negombo, about 35 km (20 miles) north of the commercial capital, Colombo, left 26 people dead, including seven prison officials, authorities said. 

Initial investigations show the fight had started when a few prisoners had leaked information of efforts to smuggle drugs into the prison to prison officials, Minister of Justice and National Integration Harshana Nanayakkara told parliament.

“This had angered a second group of inmates who were supporting the smuggling. This was what started the clash,” he told lawmakers. 

“When prison officials attempted to intervene it had escalated. Prisoners attacked prison officials with bricks and poles. Prison officials fired in self-defence. At the moment we are unaware of how prisoners got possession of weapons. Investigations into these details are ongoing.”

A small group of prisoners had also managed to disable the CCTV cameras installed within the prison, Nanayakkara added.

As many as 734 prisoners were moved to four other prisons on Tuesday morning to reduce the severe overcrowding, the Department of Prisons said.  

The Negombo prison housed about 2,400 inmates despite only having facilities for about 650, according to the Committee for Protecting Rights of Prisoners, resulting in severe overcrowding.

Dozens of police and police special forces were called in to calm the situation on Monday, and about 100 injured inmates and prison officials were treated in hospital.

A contingent of military personnel with armoured vehicles were still on guard outside the prison on Tuesday.  

Previous prison violence in Sri Lanka includes a riot in November 2020 that left 11 inmates dead, and a prison riot in 2012 in Colombo that left 27 dead.

(Reporting by Uditha JayasingheEditing by Alexandra Hudson)