The Indian Connection In Sri Lankan Drug Trade

The death of a notorious Sri Lankan born gangster in India opens a window for us to peep into the past and observe how our closest neighbour offers us both the good and the bad.

- Ravi Nagahawatte

Whatever products and services this country is proud of the connecting reality to all that is that there is an Indian touch to them. From Buddhism to yoga and the use of marijuana and even some of our Kings have that Indian connection.

The reason? India is just a hop step and jump away from Sri Lanka and the little distance between the two nations is a perfect fit when a criminal with a notorious track record in this island nation seeks an escape destination.

Even LTTE supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran did that. According to an article published in ‘The Hindu’ many years ago Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi once decided to offer arms training to LTTE cadres for the purpose of self-defence. The move to train Sri Lanka’s rebel cadres was supported by the then Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.G Ramachandran. For the record there had been such training centres in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh.

We also remember Tamil militant Varadajaja Perumal escaping to India after declaring independence for Ealam. In later years English tuition guru Sakvithi Ranasinghe vanished to India to avoid arrest in connection with a fraud linked to a financial organisation operated under his ownership.

Though India prefers a peaceful Sri Lanka for prosperity and trade in the Indian Ocean the South Asian giant knows its potential as a safe haven, for those who have brushes against the law.

The latest was Maddumage Chandana Lasantha Perera, better known as Angoda Lokka. The gangster was reported to have landed in India three years ago and maintained a makeshift family along with a food supplement business. He was reported dead some days ago and his funeral was held in Coimbatore, India.