Youth sentenced to life for smuggling heroin into prison
January 10, 2025 11:48 am
The Colombo High Court today (10) sentenced a 26-year-old youth to life imprisonment for attempting to smuggle over 25 grams of heroin into the Colombo Remand Prison using a concealed compartment in a food container.
Colombo High Court Judge Manjula Thilakaratne delivered the verdict, sentencing Deva Raja Lawrence, an unmarried youth, after the prosecution successfully proved the charges beyond reasonable doubt.
The incident occurred on December 4, 2019, when the Prison Intelligence Unit arrested the accused. He had hidden 25.09 grams of heroin in a false bottom of a bucket used to carry food to a friend detained at the Colombo Remand Prison.
Following the arrest, the Attorney General filed charges of possession and trafficking of heroin against the convict. After an extensive trial, the court determined that the evidence presented by the prosecution substantiated the accusations.
The judge ordered a life sentence, emphasizing the seriousness of the crime and the necessity of upholding the law against drug-related offenses.
