Sri Lanka’s security forces reported the largest drug seizure in the country’s history in 2025, confiscating an unprecedented 23,692 kilograms and 307 grams of illegal narcotics, officials said at a special media briefing on January 22. The haul more than doubled the total seized in 2024, when authorities intercepted 10,871 kilograms, signaling both the widening scale of trafficking and the intensified effectiveness of the national anti-drug campaign.
Police Media Spokesperson Assistant Superintendent of Police Attorney F.U. Wutler told reporters that the 2025 seizures included heroin, cannabis, ICE (crystal methamphetamine), hashish and cocaine, representing a threefold increase compared to the previous year. The figures underscore the alarming expansion of Sri Lanka’s drug market and its rising significance as a transit point for narcotics in Asia.
The spike in confiscations coincides with Sri Lanka’s emergence as a growing drug hub in the region. Analysts point to the country’s strategic location along key maritime routes, combined with porous borders and sophisticated trafficking networks, as factors driving its increasing use by organised crime syndicates. While the record haul reflects major enforcement success, experts warn that intercepted shipments likely represent only a portion of the total drugs moving through the island nation.
In addition to the seizures, authorities reported that 21 drug traffickers hiding abroad were brought back to Sri Lanka in 2024 and 2025 to face prosecution. Police also confirmed that red notices have been issued for 95 suspects currently evading justice, with further action ongoing. These developments indicate that Sri Lanka is expanding its cross-border coordination and intelligence efforts to dismantle international trafficking networks.
The operations were conducted under the national “Ratama Ekata” initiative, which has been widely promoted by the government as a major effort to suppress drug trafficking and related crimes. Officials say the campaign is aimed at disrupting the supply chain and reducing drug availability in communities, while strengthening the country’s law enforcement capacity to counter organised crime.
Despite the enforcement gains, the surge in drug seizures has raised alarm among policymakers and international observers. Sri Lanka’s transformation into a major drug transit hub presents a growing challenge for public health and national security, and highlights the need for sustained regional cooperation to address trafficking networks that operate across borders.
As Sri Lanka confronts the dual reality of record-breaking seizures and expanding criminal networks, authorities say the focus will remain on maintaining pressure on traffickers, improving surveillance, and strengthening legal and international cooperation to tackle the country’s evolving role in Asia’s narcotics landscape.
