Sri Lanka-US Operation Seizes 463kg Meth Linked to Pakistan Network
COLOMBO: Sri Lankan and United States anti-narcotics authorities have seized 463 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine in a joint operation focused on an alleged Pakistani drug network, according to officials cited in a report published early Thursday. The seizure was made from a shipping container that had arrived in Colombo, while two Pakistani nationals were taken into custody in connection with the case.
Sri Lanka Police Deputy Inspector-General Ashoka Dharmasena said the confiscated shipment weighed about 1,020 pounds. Authorities discovered the synthetic narcotic after the container reached the Sri Lankan capital over the weekend. Police also arrested a Sri Lankan national as investigators widened their inquiry into the trafficking operation.
The United States Embassy in Colombo said the seized drugs were estimated to be worth about $21 million. According to the embassy, the methamphetamine had been concealed inside bath towels and was intended to move through Sri Lanka before being supplied to international markets, highlighting the cross-border nature of the suspected trafficking route.
The operation involved the US Drug Enforcement Administration and the Sri Lanka Police Narcotics Bureau. The embassy said investigators had monitored shipping containers originating from Pakistan during a period spanning August 14 to August 29, eventually leading authorities to the consignment intercepted in Colombo. Dharmasena said the operation was also supported by a tip-off.
US officials described the seizure as an example of cooperation between Washington and Colombo against transnational criminal organisations. The embassy linked such enforcement efforts to broader attempts to disrupt organised networks involved in international narcotics trafficking and other criminal activity. The report did not identify the wider organisation allegedly responsible for the shipment or disclose whether additional suspects had been named.
Sri Lanka has been conducting an intensified campaign against illegal narcotics since October. Dharmasena said authorities have seized nearly 14 tonnes of illicit drugs during that drive, including methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine. The latest interception adds a substantial consignment to those seizures and places renewed attention on maritime cargo routes used to move drugs across international borders.
For Pakistan, the case is significant because investigators specifically tracked containers originating from the country and Sri Lankan officials described the operation as targeting a Pakistani-linked network. The report did not cite a response from Pakistan's government or law-enforcement agencies, and it did not establish responsibility beyond the individuals and network allegations identified by authorities in Sri Lanka.
Authorities have not publicly detailed formal charges, court dates or whether further arrests are expected. The involvement of the DEA and Sri Lankan narcotics officers indicates that the case is being handled as a transnational investigation, with the seized shipment, the arrested suspects and the tracked container movements likely to remain central to the continuing inquiry.