Karachi Port: 463kgs of narcotics seized with US, Sri Lankan help

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani authorities, in coordination with US and Sri Lankan agencies, have seized approximately 463 kilogrammes of crystal methamphetamine worth an estimated USD 21 million and arrested several suspects, the US Embassy said on Tuesday.

The seizure was made on August 30 following the identification of containers at Karachi Port that were suspected of carrying narcotics destined for Colombo, according to the embassy.

The Anti-Narcotics Force’s (ANF) Karachi-based Port Control Unit identified the containers between August 14 and 29 and alerted the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) office in Islamabad, the embassy said.

The operation was conducted by the ANF in cooperation with DEA Islamabad, the DEA’s New Delhi office and Sri Lanka’s Police Narcotics Bureau.

The embassy said the narcotics were suspected to have originated in Afghanistan. Several suspects, including Pakistani nationals, were arrested in connection with the seizure, it added.

The US embassy said Washington had provided assistance for sustained training of the ANF, describing the force as a key partner in counter-narcotics interdiction.

The seizure comes as the administration of US President Donald Trump has made combating illicit narcotics trafficking a key part of its stated efforts to strengthen US security.

The embassy said the US remained committed to working with Pakistan to target transnational criminal organisations involved in narcotics trafficking.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026