Sri Lanka struggles with surge in international drug smuggling

•  Authorities face increasing difficulty containing drug trafficking from Afghanistan via Iranian dhows
• Significant increase in methamphetamine and heroin seizures by the Sri Lankan Navy 
• Drugs transported along the ‘Southern Route’ pose a major challenge due to Sri Lanka’s strategic location 

By Kelum Bandara   

Containment of the trafficking of drugs, originating from Afghanistan and transported by sea in Iranian dhows from the Makran Coast, had become increasingly challenging for the Sri Lankan authorities given the modus-operandi of drug cartels, a top source here said yesterday.   

Heroin, and increasingly methamphetamine, are trafficked along with what is known as the ‘Southern Route’ originating from Afghanistan and being transported by sea from the Makran Coast to Eastern and Southern Africa despite Navy continuing to seize large hauls of drugs running into hundreds of kilos at times.   A delegation of top Navy officers was in Islamabad, Pakistan recently as part of their engagement with the rest of the world for collaborative efforts to curb the menace.   

According to the 2023 UNODC World Drug Report, the threefold increase in methamphetamine seizures worldwide between 2015 and 2021 is giving early signs of a future increase in consumption across continents.  

A top source based in Islamabad said drugs smuggled in Iranian dhows to the international waters close to Sri Lanka are smuggled into the country using fishing trawl boats registered under local names.  

“It is then challenging for the local authorities to keep a tab on drug traffickers,” the source said .  

Also, another source close to the UN said the Sri Lankan investigative authorities should be trained further in evidence gathering to facilitate litigation that can lead to conviction of suspects.  

In some cases, litigation leads to acquittals because of poor evidence gathering.