The Sri Lanka Navy has seized illicit drugs estimated to be worth more than Rs. 55 billion in maritime and coastal anti-narcotics operations so far in 2026, Navy Spokesman Commander Chaminda Walakuluge said.
Around 300 suspects and 50 vessels allegedly linked to local and international trafficking networks have been taken into custody during those operations, the Daily Mirror reported.
What was intercepted
The spokesman put this year’s hauls at more than 1,080 kilograms of heroin, 590 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine — known locally as Ice — and 256 kilograms of cocaine.
Alongside those, the Navy says it confiscated over 4 million narcotic pills, 51 kilograms of hashish and 55,000 kilograms — 55 tonnes — of smuggled beedi leaves. A recent operation in the Gurunagar lagoon area yielded around 800 kilograms of cannabis.
The running total is more than double the figure the Navy reported for the first quarter of the year, when it placed seizures at over Rs. 25 billion.
Two smuggling corridors
The Navy describes trafficking networks as using distinct maritime routes into Sri Lanka. Cannabis and beedi leaves are moved mainly through the Northern Sea, while heroin, crystal methamphetamine and cocaine are brought primarily through the Arabian Sea.
Surveillance and interception have been stepped up in both areas to stop consignments reaching shore, Walakuluge said.
The Navy said it is also running community awareness programmes aimed at preventing drug abuse, particularly among young people, and that its operations are focused on disrupting trafficking networks and supporting legal action against those involved.
