Sri Lanka has recorded 38 shootings connected to organised crime so far this year, with the attacks claiming 25 lives and injuring 15 people, according to figures cited in the latest reporting on the country’s continuing gun violence. The incidents include targeted killings, attacks on associates and relatives of rival criminal figures, and shootings believed to have been commissioned by organised crime groups involved in the illegal drug trade.
Police have repeatedly linked such attacks to disputes between rival criminal networks. In July, when 22 shootings had been recorded nationally, Police Media Spokesperson Assistant Superintendent F.U. Wootler said every case investigated up to that point had revealed links to organised crime and the illicit narcotics trade. He said rival groups were using violence to eliminate competitors, settle financial disputes and prevent opposing networks from expanding their influence.
Police have also said that some of the criminal activity is being directed from outside Sri Lanka. Wootler said many of those believed to be orchestrating shootings were operating overseas, while intended victims were sometimes relatives or associates of rival gang members. Such attacks, he said, could be intended to intimidate competing networks. Investigators have also found cases in which drugs were allegedly offered as payment for contract killings rather than cash.
The pattern has included attacks in which the intended target was not the person killed. In August, a man was shot dead on Huludagoda Road in Mount Lavinia after two people arrived on a scooter-type motorcycle. Police said the intended target was the owner of a nearby vehicle-repair garage, while the man who died was his friend. Police suspected the shooting was connected to an organised criminal and drug-trafficking figure. The incident took the reported number of organised-crime shootings at that point to 29, with 19 deaths and 11 injuries.
Another case in August involved the shooting death of Mohamed Asmin Moideen, a 54-year-old hardware-store owner in Maligawatta who police said was a close relative of organised criminal figure Kanjipani Imran. Police arrested five suspects in connection with the killing and said investigators suspected that the attack had been orchestrated by another organised criminal figure, known as Kudu Anju, who was believed to be living in France. Several of those arrested were found with crystal methamphetamine, according to police.
Authorities have responded with intensified intelligence operations, including analysis of telephone and other communications, as well as targeted searches and arrests. Police have acknowledged that officers cannot be deployed everywhere and have said intelligence-led operations are being used to identify targets and suspects before attacks take place. In August, police also reported bringing organised-crime suspect Lalith Kannangara, known as “Bus Lalith”, back from Dubai for further investigation into allegations including drug trafficking, murder, attempted murder, extortion and arson.
The police response has also included efforts to pursue criminal assets and fugitives abroad. Police said in August that legal action had been initiated over assets worth about Rs.3.878 billion allegedly acquired through organised crime during the previous three years, while 42 suspects subject to Interpol Red Notices had been brought back to Sri Lanka since 2024. A further 109 suspects were then being sought under Red Notices.
