The Media Line: Pakistan, US, Sri Lanka Bust Afghan Drug Network, Seize $21 Million Haul

Pakistan, US, Sri Lanka Bust Afghan Drug Network, Seize $21 Million Haul

By Arshad Mehmood / The Media Line Staff

Pakistan, US and Sri Lankan drug control agencies have busted an Afghan global narcotics trafficking network in a joint operation, seizing 671 kilograms of methamphetamine worth millions of dollars and arresting several suspects, Pakistan’s Anti-Narcotics Force
(ANF) said Friday.

The operation unfolded after ANF intelligence led to the seizure of 200 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine, commonly known as ice, from a container at Karachi Port in July. Two members of the network, including its Afghan ringleader, Ehsan Ullah, were arrested.

Information obtained during the interrogation of the suspects was subsequently shared with Sri Lankan authorities and the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the ANF said.

Acting on the intelligence provided by Pakistan, Sri Lankan authorities conducted a joint operation at Colombo Port and seized a further 471 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine from two containers. Six additional members of the network were also arrested.

The combined seizures at Karachi and Colombo ports brought the total quantity of methamphetamine confiscated to 671 kilograms, according to the ANF. The operation exposed a network allegedly involved in moving Afghan-produced drugs through Pakistan and Sri
Lanka to international markets.

Kanwal Noor, an ANF spokesperson, told The Media Line that “the ANF played a central role throughout the operation, identifying the trafficking network through an intelligence-led strategy.”

“Timely sharing of intelligence and effective coordination with international law enforcement agencies enabled authorities to carry out the major seizure and arrests in Sri Lanka,” she added.

Noor said Pakistan had long served as a transit route for drugs smuggled from Afghanistan and had also suffered from the impact of narcotics trafficking. She added that Pakistan, in line with its international obligations, continued to cooperate closely with
international law-enforcement agencies to disrupt transnational drug networks.

The US Embassy in Colombo separately confirmed the development and said that the DEA, New Delhi Country Office and Sri Lanka’s Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) conducted a successful joint operation disrupting a Pakistan-based narcotrafficking network attempting
to smuggle crystal methamphetamine through Sri Lanka to international markets.

The embassy stated that, acting on intelligence developed by the DEA’s Foreign Counterparts Unit, and Pakistan’s ANF’s Special Investigations Cell on suspicious maritime containers moving from Pakistan to Colombo, PNB seized approximately 463 kg of crystal
methamphetamine—valued at $21 million—concealed in bath towels, and arrested several suspects, including Pakistani nationals.

This operation highlights the strength of the US–Sri Lanka partnership in dismantling transnational criminal organizations that fund terrorism and threaten communities in both our countries.

The United States remains committed to working with Sri Lanka and regional partners to aggressively pursue transnational criminal organizations, deny them the revenue from illicit drug trafficking, and protect our citizens from the dangers of narcotrafficking.

Afghanistan has long been a major source of illicit drugs, particularly opium and heroin, that reach markets across the region and beyond. Trafficking networks have traditionally used neighboring countries as key transit routes to international destinations.

While Afghanistan’s opium production has fallen sharply since the Taliban imposed a nationwide ban on poppy cultivation in April 2022, the country’s role in the global drug trade continues to evolve.

At the same time, methamphetamine and other synthetic drugs have gained greater prominence.

Seizures of methamphetamine linked to Afghanistan and the surrounding region have increased in recent years.

According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Afghanistan was identified as a leading departure or transit country for methamphetamine shipments in Asia during the 2021–2024 period, emphasizing the growing importance of synthetic drugs in the region’s
illicit markets.

PHOTO- Pakistan, US and Sri Lankan drug control agencies bust Afghan drug network, September, 2026. (Courtesy: US Department of State – Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs)