The Anti-Narcotics Force, working with U.S. and regional counterparts, has seized roughly 463 kg of crystal methamphetamine worth $21 million, the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad announced.
The seizure took place on August 30 and stemmed from a joint operation involving the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Islamabad office, Pakistan’s Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF), Sri Lanka’s Police Narcotics Bureau, and the DEA’s New Delhi office.
The operation began between August 14 and 29, when ANF’s Port Control Unit in Karachi flagged several containers bound for Colombo, Sri Lanka, suspecting they carried narcotics originating in Afghanistan.
ANF alerted DEA Islamabad, and the two agencies coordinated with authorities in Sri Lanka and India to track and intercept the shipment. The operation led to the seizure of the drugs and the arrest of several suspects, including Pakistani nationals.
The U.S. Embassy said the seizure reflects the strength of counternarcotics cooperation between Washington and Islamabad, noting that American foreign assistance has helped train ANF personnel and build the force’s capacity to serve as a key partner in interdiction efforts.
The Trump administration has identified halting the flow of illicit narcotics as a priority in its broader security agenda.
The embassy added that the United States remains committed to working with Pakistan to dismantle transnational criminal networks and protect American citizens from the dangers of narcotrafficking.
