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Sri Lankan authorities have seized 463 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine at Colombo Port in an operation targeting a Pakistan-based drug trafficking network, following intelligence provided by the US Drug Enforcement Administration.
Nazeem Noushad
COLOMBO: Sri Lankan authorities have seized approximately 463 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine at Colombo Port in an operation targeting a Pakistan-based drug trafficking network, according to the U.S. Embassy in Colombo.
The seizure was made on August 31, after Sri Lankan authorities acted on intelligence provided by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Officers from the Central Crime Investigation Bureau, Police Narcotics Bureau and Sri Lanka Customs inspected a container at the port and found the drugs concealed inside towels.
The U.S. Embassy said the DEA’s New Delhi Country Office and Sri Lanka’s Police Narcotics Bureau conducted the joint operation against the Pakistan-based network, which was attempting to move crystal methamphetamine through Sri Lanka to international markets.
According to the U.S. account, intelligence was developed between August 14 and 29 concerning suspicious maritime containers moving from Pakistan to Colombo. The information was then shared with Sri Lankan authorities, leading to the seizure.
The U.S. Embassy estimated the seized drugs had a street value of around US$21 million.
Sri Lanka Police said a 44-year-old man from Dematagoda was arrested in connection with the shipment. Three Pakistani nationals, aged 33, 36 and 51, were also arrested during the subsequent investigation.
The suspects and the seized drugs have been handed over to the Police Narcotics Bureau as investigations continue into the wider trafficking network.
