The Sri Lankan Navy and Coast Guard jointly seized more than 561 kilograms of methamphetamine and heroin on Saturday, 25 October 2026, during an operation at Naotunna beach in Thalalla, Matara, on the country's southern coast. The haul, confirmed by the navy, is among the largest single-operation drug seizures reported in Sri Lanka this year.

What Was Recovered

Search teams found 21 sacks and travel bags containing suspected narcotics, along with a dinghy believed to have been used for smuggling the consignment ashore. The operation was launched after intelligence was received by the Coast Guard.

Subsequent examination conducted with assistance from the Police Narcotics Bureau confirmed the drugs comprised more than 240 kilograms of methamphetamine packed in 200 packages and over 320 kilograms of heroin spread across 275 packages.

Government Response

Deputy Defence Minister Aruna Jayasekara said that coordinated Navy and Coast Guard operations over the past year had netted drugs with a combined estimated street value of 97 billion Sri Lankan rupees (approximately 292 million US dollars). He confirmed that multi-agency operations — involving the armed forces, police, and local and foreign intelligence agencies — would continue to intercept narcotics before they enter the country.

Scale of Sri Lanka's Anti-Narcotics Campaign

The seizure comes as part of Sri Lanka's year-long anti-drug drive, 'A Nation United', launched on 30 October 2025. Cabinet spokesperson and Health Minister Nalinda Jayatissa revealed last week that authorities had arrested 303,017 suspects between the campaign's launch and 18 October 2026.

According to Jayatissa, the campaign involved 97,074 raids targeting heroin, resulting in seizures of 2,485.1 kg of the drug, while 18,710 raids on crystal methamphetamine yielded 3,302.7 kg. Police also seized 297.1 kg of cocaine, 11,146 kg of cannabis, 1,723 kg of kush, 416 kg of hashish, and 4.5 million narcotic pills during the campaign period.

Investigators have initiated proceedings against 449 suspects for illegal assets, obtained detention orders against 3,749 suspects, and referred a further 2,580 people for rehabilitation, he said.

2026 Seizure Figures So Far

Cumulatively in 2026, Sri Lankan authorities have seized 1,469 kg of heroin, 7,703 kg of cannabis, 272 kg of cocaine, 857 kg of hashish, and 1,649 kg of crystal methamphetamine. The scale of these numbers underscores Sri Lanka's position as both a transit and consumption point for narcotics flowing through the Indian Ocean region — a concern shared by neighbouring India and regional maritime security agencies.

With multi-agency operations continuing, officials say the enforcement pressure on drug trafficking networks will intensify through the remainder of 2026.