Sri Lankan police seize truck carrying 200 kilos of methamphetamine, heroin

Colombo, Sep 22 (IANS) Sri Lankan police on Monday seized a truck transporting about 200 kilos of crystal methamphetamine (ICE) and heroin, said a police spokesman.

Police spokesman F.U. Wootler told the media that the vehicle was taken into custody in Tangalle in Sri Lanka's Southern province, with the drugs being hidden among a load of watermelons.

In recent weeks, large quantities of drugs and raw materials used to make drugs have been detected in the province, reports Xinhua news agency.

In a separate incident in Tangalle on Monday, police recovered more than 10 kilos of a substance suspected to be crystal methamphetamine from a truck parked near a house.

Earlier this month, a stockpile of nearly 50,000 kg of raw materials suspected to be used in the production of crystal methamphetamine was recovered in Middeniya in southern Sri Lanka.

This comes just days after Sri Lankan police announced that they have seized nearly a metric tonne of heroin and 13 tonnes of cannabis during raids carried out so far in 2025.

Police Media spokesperson F.U. Wootler, addressing a press conference in Colombo, said 955 kg of heroin, 1,422 kg of crystal methamphetamine, 471 kg of hashish, 29 kg of cocaine, and 13,773 kg of cannabis had been confiscated. Police have also seized 3.5 million narcotic pills, he said.

During these operations, 1,721 firearms were also seized, he said.

Wootler added that 328 suspects have been arrested in connection with shooting incidents. These include 38 gunmen, 27 getaway riders, and 263 accused of aiding and abetting these crimes.

He added that, since January 12, police have conducted daily special operations and searched a total of 5,101,516 individuals, arresting 104,602 suspects, according to the police spokesperson.

--IANS

int/sd/