Almost half a tonne of crystal methamphetamine was found by US and Sri Lankan anti-drug officers after a joint operation against a Pakistani drug network, according to authorities on Wednesday. According to police deputy inspector-general Ashoka Dharmasena, two Pakistani men were detained after 463 kilograms of the synthetic narcotic were found in a shipping container that arrived in Colombo over the weekend.
The drugs, which were hidden in bath towels and valued at $21 million (€18 million), were intended to be transported to foreign markets through Sri Lanka, according to the US embassy in Colombo.
According to a statement from the embassy, the combined operation was carried out by the Sri Lanka Police Narcotics Bureau and the US Drug Enforcement Administration’s headquarters after tracing shipping containers from Pakistan between August 14 and 29.
According to the statement, “This operation highlights the strength of the US-Sri Lanka partnership in dismantling transnational criminal organisations that fund terrorism and threaten communities in both our countries.
In relation to the most recent methamphetamine bust, Dharmasena stated they had also detained a local guy and confirmed the operation was the result of a “tip-off.” Nearly 14 tonnes of illicit drugs have been seized as a result of Sri Lanka’s continuous anti-drug campaign since October, he continued.
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