Sri Lankan police recently froze the assets of 88 individuals suspected of drug smuggling, money laundering, financial fraud, and organized crime, following a court order. The total value of the frozen assets exceeds 4 billion rupees (approximately 100 million yuan), marking one of the country's most stringent anti-organized crime and anti-money laundering measures in recent years.
The Criminal Investigation Department noted that the frozen assets include residential and commercial real estate, bank accounts, vehicles, gold jewelry, and other luxury items. The suspects are primarily key members of transnational drug and arms smuggling networks and money laundering schemes, often using shell companies and fictitious accounts for profit.
Among them, 26 major drug lords have drawn particular attention, especially the head of the "Dematagoda Ruwan Empire," whose assets amount to 750 million rupees, setting a new record for asset freezing in a single case in Sri Lanka.
This round of actions benefits from the passage of the new Anti-Money Laundering Act, which allows law enforcement agencies to freeze suspected illegal assets before a conviction, significantly speeding up the recovery process.
The police stated that this is only an initial freeze, and criminal prosecutions will follow, along with continued investigations into illegal properties hidden under third-party names, aiming to completely dismantle the criminal economic network. The authorities emphasize that this serves as a direct warning to the forces of illicit wealth: "The law will not tolerate criminals eroding the national economy."
