Hawupe Liyanage Prasanna Madhushanka vs. The Hon. Attorney General – CA 298/2015-2021

In the case between Hawupe Liyanage Prasanna Madhushanka (Accused-Appellant) and The Hon. Attorney General of Sri Lanka (Complainant-Respondent), the court addressed whether the prosecution had proven, beyond reasonable doubt, the “inward journey” or the chain of custody of heroin allegedly trafficked and possessed by the Appellant. The court held that the chain of custody was reliably established through the evidence, that no material procedural irregularity occurred, and that the prosecution had met the legal standards of proof required under the Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs Ordinance. The decision reaffirmed the principle that the probative value of the prosecution’s evidence and the unbroken chain of custody are essential for upholding convictions in narcotics-related offenses. T