Sri Lanka Navy seizes more than one tonne of heroin in seven months

The Sri Lanka Navy seized more than 1,000 kilograms of heroin and large quantities of other narcotics during maritime operations conducted between January and July 2026, the Navy said.

The seizures included 1,080.894 kilograms of heroin, 667.695 kilograms of Kerala cannabis, 590.806 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine, commonly known as “Ice”, 256.2 kilograms of cocaine and 56.091 kilograms of hashish.

The Navy said it intercepted several local multi-day fishing trawlers allegedly used to smuggle narcotics into Sri Lanka. Authorities handed the seized drugs to the relevant law enforcement agencies for further investigations.

The operations formed part of the government’s national anti-drug initiative, “A Nation United”, and involved the armed forces, Sri Lanka Police, the Police Special Task Force, the Police Narcotics Bureau and foreign intelligence agencies under the guidance of the Ministry of Defence.

The Navy said the joint surveillance and patrol operations had disrupted international drug-trafficking networks and prevented large quantities of narcotics from entering the country.

It pledged to continue maritime operations aimed at protecting Sri Lanka’s territorial waters and combating drug trafficking.