Sri Lankan police made a big bust on Monday, seizing a truck packed with around 200 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine, also known as ICE, and heroin. The drugs were cleverly hidden inside a load of watermelons in Tangalle, a town in the country’s Southern Province.
Police spokesman F.U. Wootler shared the details with reporters. He explained that officers pulled over the vehicle and uncovered the stash during a routine check.
This isn’t an isolated incident. In recent weeks, authorities in the Southern Province have uncovered large amounts of drugs and raw materials used to produce them. Just on the same day in Tangalle, police found more than 10 kilograms of what they suspect is crystal methamphetamine in another truck parked near a house.
Earlier this month, they struck gold again in nearby Middeniya, recovering almost 50,000 kilograms of materials believed to be key ingredients for making crystal methamphetamine.
These seizures come hot on the heels of a major announcement from Sri Lankan police. In raids carried out across 2025 so far, they’ve grabbed nearly a metric ton of heroin and 13 tons of cannabis. Wootler laid out the full picture during a press conference in Colombo.
Officers confiscated 955 kilograms of heroin, 1,422 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine, 471 kilograms of hashish, 29 kilograms of cocaine, and a whopping 13,773 kilograms of cannabis. They also seized 3.5 million narcotic pills.
The operations didn’t stop at drugs. Police grabbed 1,721 firearms along the way.
Wootler highlighted the arrests tied to shooting incidents: 328 suspects in total, including 38 gunmen, 27 getaway riders, and 263 people accused of helping or covering up the crimes.
Since January 12, police have ramped up efforts with daily special operations. They’ve searched over 5 million people—specifically 5,101,516 individuals—and arrested 104,602 suspects overall.
These crackdowns show Sri Lanka’s push to tackle the growing drug trade and related violence in the region.
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