US and Sri Lankan agents seize 463kg of methamphetamine in Colombo

Authorities from Sri Lanka and the United States have seized approximately 463 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine at the Colombo Port. The joint operation, involving the US Drug Enforcement Administration and the Sri Lanka Police Narcotics Bureau, targeted a Pakistani drug network after tracking shipping containers between August 14 and August 29.

The narcotics, valued at an estimated $21 million, were concealed within bath towels in a shipping container. Officials stated the drugs were not intended for local consumption but were being moved through Colombo as a transit hub to reach international markets. Two Pakistani men and one local man were arrested in connection with the seizure.

Sri Lankan Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala informed parliament that much of the illegal drugs entering the country via sea originate in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The seizure is part of an ongoing anti-narcotics campaign in Sri Lanka that has resulted in the confiscation of nearly 14 tonnes of various illegal substances since October.