‘Santa Fresh’ narcotic toffees force-fed to young students

Those who do not eat the toffees allegedly assaulted by seniors at Peradeniya MMV

An alleged racket at the Peradeniya Madya Maha Vidyalaya, where senior students are distributing narcotic toffees to Grade six, seven and eight students, is being investigated by the Police.

Both police and the school disciplinary committee are investigating reports that outsiders were giving these toffees to senior students to distribute to younger students. Their apparent motive is to get them addicted.

The investigation was launched after a Grade six student was admitted to the Peradeniya Sirimavo Bandaranaike Children’s Hospital due to illness after he was allegedly force-fed such a narcotic toffee by a senior student.

The victim told the Sunday Times some senior students were forcing him and others to distribute a toffee which was named "Santa Fresh" to students. He claimed the seniors would often assault younger students who refused to do so.

He alleged he had refused to distribute the toffees given by the seniors and later that afternoon, a senior student had walked up to him and forcibly fed him a piece of the toffee. The victim had vomited as soon as he ate it.

The victim’s father said his child had only been at the school for a month after he passed Grade five scholarship exam. He said after a few days, the child had refused to go to school citing various ailments.

“Doctors said there was nothing wrong with him and that he had been making it all up to avoid going to school. It was only after we questioned him at length that he revealed how some senior students were forcing them to distribute these toffees.”

He said he had lodged a complaint with the school principal and the teacher in charge of disciplinary affairs.

“They assured me that the child would be protected and they would investigate the matter. Later that same afternoon a senior student force fed the toffee to my child and we took him to hospital after he complained of illness.”

Peradeniya MMV Principal Ru wan Edirisinghe confirmed he had received information that a group of outsiders were using some senior students to distribute narcotic toffees to junior students.

“The crisis is now being probed by the Police. We have received information that some young men on motorbikes and wearing full- face helmets are distributing these toffees. No money has changed hands. It seems the intention is to make the students become addicted to them. We have suspicions that some parents, too, maybe involved in this racket,” he added.