U.S. Trains Sri Lankan Customs in Anti-Narcotics Operations
- CNL Reporter
- July 29, 2025
- News
- Sri Lankan Custom
- 0 Comments
The United States has supported a five-day specialized training program for 16 frontline Sri Lanka Custom’s officers to enhance their capacity to combat maritime drug trafficking, the U.S. Embassy in Colombo announced.
The training, focused on pier-side vessel search techniques, was held in partnership with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)’s Global Maritime Crime Program.
Participants were introduced to international best practices in vessel interdiction, search procedures at ports, harbor terminals, and anchorage zones — vital skills aimed at disrupting the transnational narcotics trade moving through Sri Lanka’s waters.
“Sri Lanka and the U.S. are working together to stem the flow of illicit drugs through Sri Lankan territorial waters,” the Embassy said via its official X (formerly Twitter) platform.
Sri Lanka’s strategic location along major Indian Ocean maritime routes has made it a frequent transshipment hub for heroin and synthetic drugs. Traffickers exploit its vast coastline and use multi-ton shipments on fishing vessels and cargo ships. Despite ongoing Navy and Police operations, maritime smuggling continues to pose a serious threat due to involvement of international syndicates and regional networks.
