ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) dismantled an international drug trafficking network operating from Afghanistan, seizing 671 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine across Pakistan and Sri Lanka, according to an ANF statement Friday.
The ANF recovered 200 kilograms concealed in a container at Karachi Port and arrested Afghan national Ehsanullah, identified as the reported ringleader, along with a local facilitator.
According to the ANF, Ehsanullah disclosed details of a second drug shipment headed to Colombo during interrogation.
The ANF shared this intelligence with Sri Lankan authorities and the US Drug Enforcement Administration. It led to a coordinated operation at Colombo Port.
Officers there recovered 471 kilograms of methamphetamine hidden inside towels.
The combined seizures represent one of the region's largest interdictions targeting the Afghan drug trade. Afghanistan's vast narcotics production, particularly crystal methamphetamine, fuels trafficking networks across South and Southeast Asia.
"This operation demonstrates the critical importance of intelligence sharing and coordinated action among regional and international law enforcement," an ANF spokesperson said. He sated that the force's capabilities in gathering actionable intelligence enabled the transnational partnership.
Sri Lankan authorities and the DEA formally recognized the ANF's role in disrupting the network.
Regional cooperation on narcotics has intensified in recent years as Afghan opium and methamphetamine production have surged following the Taliban's 2021 takeover, despite initial promises to restrict poppy cultivation.