Security forces have seized more than 10 tonnes of narcotics since the launch of the ‘A Nation United’ national anti-drug programme on October 30, 2025, officials revealed at the Kandy District Progress Review meeting on Wednesday.

According to figures disclosed at the review, authorities have recovered over 2,100 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine (‘Ice’), more than 1,950 kilograms of heroin, nearly 5,800 kilograms of cannabis and over 280 kilograms of cocaine in the seven-and-a-half-month operation. A further 1,736,349 narcotic pills have also been seized.

The cumulative haul represents a sharp increase from totals disclosed in late May, when President Anura Kumara Dissanayake reported that 1,947 kilograms of heroin and 2,062 kilograms of methamphetamine had been seized alongside 186,000 arrests in the first four months of the operation. The cannabis tally — nearly 5.8 tonnes — was not previously broken out as a separate headline figure, marking a new data point on the scale of the cannabis trade.

President Dissanayake said in May that the seizures still represented only a fraction of the narcotics flowing through Sri Lanka. “I do not think we have caught all the drugs entering the country. If we had seized everything, there would be no reason for traffickers to continue bringing them in,” he told a media briefing.

The ‘A Nation United’ programme — also known as Ratama Ekata — coordinates police, military and intelligence units alongside the Justice Ministry’s Rehabilitation (Amendment) Bill and proposals for a dedicated narcotics court to accelerate prosecutions.

Update — June 21: Police-side operation totals

The Police Media Division on June 21 disclosed cumulative figures from the parallel islandwide crime and drug prevention operation, reporting that a further 17 individuals directly linked to criminal incidents had been arrested in the latest round. According to the Division, the operation has searched 28,614 individuals to date and taken 580 suspects linked to various offences and 108 individuals wanted on outstanding warrants into custody. A further 73 drunk drivers and 128 persons accused of reckless driving offences were also arrested over the same period.

Sources: Ada Derana, June 18; NewsFirst, June 19; Ada Derana, June 21.