International Drug Trafficking Ring Busted, 463 kg of Methamphetamine Seized at Port of Colombo

A large quantity of crystal methamphetamine, around 463 kilograms, was seized by authorities during a joint operation at the Port of Colombo. The operation was successfully concluded through cooperation between US and Sri Lankan agencies, striking a blow against an international trafficking network.

Investigators discovered that the illegal shipment had arrived from Pakistan, skillfully concealed inside a consignment of bath towels. Traffickers used this tactic in the hope of evading routine inspections.

The US Embassy in Colombo said the seized drugs were worth around $21 million, equivalent to approximately €18 million.

Three people were arrested as a result of the operation: two Pakistani nationals and one Sri Lankan. The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the local police Narcotics Bureau worked together on the operation.

Before taking action, law enforcement officers had kept several containers arriving from Pakistan under surveillance for more than two weeks, from August 14 to 29. According to information from the embassy, the plan was for the drugs to transit through Sri Lanka before being distributed to foreign markets.

US representatives described the bust as a successful model of coordinated action in the fight against criminal groups operating across borders. These networks not only traffic narcotics but, as noted, often also have links to terrorist financing schemes.

Deputy Inspector General of Police Ashoka Dharmasena confirmed that the operation was launched after the authorities received intelligence about a suspicious shipment.

This significant seizure is not an isolated case but part of a broader anti-narcotics campaign by the island nation’s authorities. Dharmasena added that since October last year, law enforcement agencies have managed to intercept nearly 14 tonnes of various narcotics, including methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin.

Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala previously told parliament that a large proportion of the drugs entering the country originate in Afghanistan and Pakistan and reach the island via maritime routes.

According to official estimates, around 400,000 people in Sri Lanka, a country with a population of approximately 22 million, regularly use narcotics.