The Anti-Narcotics Force said Friday it helped to disrupt a transnational drug trafficking network by sharing intelligence with US and Sri Lankan authorities. The joint operation resulted in the seizure of 671 kilograms of methamphetamine linked to an Afghanistan-based trafficking network through the ports of Karachi and Colombo.
Key Highlights
- ANF shared intelligence leads to 671 kg methamphetamine seizure across two countries
- Afghan national Ehsanullah named as mastermind of the network
- 200 kg recovered in Karachi, 471 kg recovered in Colombo, hidden in bath towels
- US DEA and Sri Lankan police jointly credit ANF cooperation
How the Operation Went Down
According to the statement of ANF, the operation was launched on the basis of actionable intelligence, which led to the recovery of 200 kilograms of methamphetamine from a container at Karachi Port. During the probe, ANF arrested the alleged mastermind of the network, an Afghan national, Ehsanullah, and several local handlers involved in the operation.
ANF said in a statement that it had shared crucial information with Sri Lankan authorities and the United States Drug Enforcement Administration after a “thorough investigation” of the Afghan kingpin. That directly led to the recovery of a further 471 kilograms of methamphetamine. The DEA then worked with Sri Lankan authorities to conduct a joint operation at Colombo Port where the drugs were hidden inside bath towels.
Pakistan’s Anti-Narcotics Force dismantles international drug trafficking network linked to Afghanistan, seizing 671kg of methamphetamine in Pakistan and Sri Lanka.#Pakistan #ANF #DrugTrafficking #Methamphetamine #PakistanTV pic.twitter.com/kAQN35LnjM
— Pakistan TV (@PakTVGlobal) September 4, 2026
Sri Lanka and the US: A Different Story
This account differs somewhat from the description of the same seizure given earlier in the week by the Sri Lankan police and the US embassy in Colombo. Those authorities announced the bust and recovery of nearly half a tonne of crystal methamphetamine from a joint operation conducted last month, but identified the network as Pakistani rather than Afghanistan-based and said two Pakistani men had been arrested in connection with it, on Wednesday. The US Embassy in Colombo estimated the value of the seized narcotics at $21 million, hidden in bath towels to be smuggled through Sri Lanka to international markets.
ANF depicts Pakistan as both a transit route and a victim.
In a statement, the ANF said the network was trying to use Pakistani territory as a transit route to move narcotics toward international destinations. The agency bluntly characterized Pakistan’s position as a transit and victim state for drugs of Afghan origin, a characterization that places responsibility for the underlying drug flow on trafficking networks operating out of Afghanistan and not domestic production.
ANF said it had used intelligence-based tactics to locate and dismantle the network. The agency said the operation demonstrated its professional capabilities and its continued commitment to working internationally to combat drug trafficking. The statement recognises the contribution of ANF in dismantling the network and arresting Afghan traffickers and their local facilitators, ANF said. It said that the role of ANF in this regard has been formally recognised by the authorities of Sri Lanka as well as the US DEA, which highlights its success in international counter-narcotics work.
