The Kabul Tribune (KT) — Pakistan's Anti-Narcotics Force said Friday that intelligence shared with U.S. and Sri Lankan authorities helped dismantle a transnational drug trafficking network allegedly led by an Afghan national, resulting in the seizure of 671 kilograms of methamphetamine in Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Pakistani media outlet Dawn reported that the operation
involved Pakistani, Sri Lankan and U.S. authorities and targeted what
Pakistan's Anti-Narcotics Force, or ANF, described as an Afghanistan-based drug
trafficking network.
The ANF said it provided actionable intelligence that led to
the recovery of 200 kilograms of methamphetamine from a shipping container at
Karachi Port. Authorities also arrested the alleged mastermind of the network,
identified by the ANF as Ehsanullah, an Afghan national.
Local facilitators allegedly linked to the network were also
arrested, according to the ANF.
Following the arrests and investigation, the ANF said it
shared additional information with Sri Lankan authorities and the U.S. Drug
Enforcement Administration, leading to the recovery of another 471 kilograms of
methamphetamine at Colombo Port.
The drugs were concealed in bath towels and were intended
for international markets, according to Sri Lankan authorities and the U.S.
Embassy in Colombo. The narcotics were valued at about $21 million, the embassy
said.
Sri Lankan police and the U.S. Embassy announced the seizure
earlier this week, describing the network as Pakistani and saying two Pakistani
men had been arrested.
The ANF said the network was attempting to use Pakistan as a
transit route to transport narcotics to international destinations and
described the operation as the result of international counter-narcotics
cooperation.
