Nearly 12,000 children have been arrested during raids conducted over a one-year period under the ‘A Nation United’ national operation.

Accordingly, a total of 11,970 children have been arrested during raids carried out from October 30, 2025, to date.

Of those arrested, 11,737 were boys and 233 were girls.

Meanwhile, the ‘A Nation United’ national operation is continuing across the island, with a major crackdown against organized criminal networks set to be launched in the future, Minister of Public Security Ananda Wijepala has stated.

Speaking on the matter, the Minister said:

“As a result of this operation, special measures were taken to disrupt the supply of drugs in the country. Sri Lanka Police, the Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB), the Special Task Force (STF), the three armed forces, including the Navy, and the Coast Guard made a significant contribution to these efforts.   

“As a result, tons of drugs that were intended to be distributed among the general public were seized. Had these quantities of drugs not been intercepted, drug traffickers and dealers would have broken them down into gram-level quantities and distributed them among children.

“The underworld is linked to the drug trade, and organized criminals are at the forefront of these activities. A major operation targeting these organized criminal networks is also being carried out alongside this national operation.”