The Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) has immediately suspended the party membership of a local council candidate who was arrested in connection with a drug haul intercepted in the southern seas.

Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa announced the decision on his X account, stating that the party has also launched a separate internal inquiry to determine further action regarding the incident.

Premadasa reiterated that the SJB remains firmly opposed to the drug trade, which he described as a “scourge on society,” and stressed that he strongly supports legal reforms to ensure the highest level of punishment for those involved in such criminal activities.

The suspect, an SJB local government candidate, was arrested yesterday in Pannala by the Police Narcotics Bureau in connection with the fishing vessel seized with narcotics off the southern coast.