Colombo, September 3, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
A joint counternarcotics operation by the United States and Sri Lanka has disrupted a Pakistan-based drug trafficking network, with authorities seizing approximately 463 kg of crystal methamphetamine worth an estimated $21 million and arresting several suspects, including Pakistani nationals.
According to a statement issued by the US Embassy in Sri Lanka, the operation was conducted by the US Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) New Delhi Country Office and Sri Lanka’s Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB).
The investigation was based on intelligence developed by the DEA’s Foreign Counterparts Unit Pakistan Anti-Narcotics Force Special Investigations Cell between August 14 and 29 concerning suspicious maritime containers being transported from Pakistan to Colombo.
Sri Lankan authorities subsequently seized around 463 kg of crystal methamphetamine concealed inside bath towels and arrested several suspects.
The US Embassy said the operation highlighted the strength of the US-Sri Lanka partnership in targeting transnational criminal organisations involved in narcotics trafficking and other illicit activities.
It said the cooperation builds on longstanding training and technical assistance provided by the US Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs to Sri Lankan Police and Customs authorities.
The US also reaffirmed its commitment to working with Sri Lanka and other regional partners to disrupt transnational criminal networks, deprive them of revenue generated through illegal drug trafficking and protect communities from the dangers associated with narcotics.
Sri Lanka has separately intensified its nationwide anti-drug campaign. In July, Deputy Inspector General of Police and Police Narcotics Bureau Director Ashoka Dharmasena said more than 230,000 suspects had been arrested since the launch of the national operation ‘Ratama Ekata’ in October last year.
According to Sri Lankan police figures cited by the Daily Mirror, a total of 230,248 suspects had been arrested for various drug-related offences during the operation.
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