The U.S. Embassy in Sri Lanka said a joint counternarcotics operation disrupted a Pakistan-based trafficking network that sought to move crystal methamphetamine through Sri Lanka to international markets.
According to the embassy, intelligence developed between August 14 and 29 by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s Foreign Counterparts Unit and Pakistan’s Anti‑Narcotics Force Special Investigations Cell led Sri Lanka’s Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) to intercept suspicious maritime containers arriving from Pakistan.
The PNB recovered about 463 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine concealed inside bath towels. The embassy placed the estimated street value at $21 million. Several suspects, including Pakistani nationals, were taken into custody.
Lakbima News obtained a copy of the PNB media release confirming the seizure and the arrests. The release lists the weight of the narcotics and the method of concealment, and it names the units involved in the investigation.
The U.S. Embassy said the operation builds on training and technical assistance provided by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs to Sri Lanka Police and Customs. The embassy added that U.S. and Sri Lankan authorities will continue to cooperate with regional partners to pursue transnational criminal groups, cut their revenue from illicit drugs, and protect citizens from narcotics-related harms.
Lakbima News contacted the PNB for further comment and will publish any additional details released by the authorities. (Lakbima News)
