Sri Lanka is grappling with a profound shift in drug consumption trends, as methamphetamine overtakes cannabis as the nation’s predominant illicit substance. Once primarily known for cannabis use among its urban populations, Sri Lanka is now caught in the grip of a synthetic drug crisis, according to new research by the Pathfinder Foundation.
The country’s strategic location in the Indian Ocean has transformed it into a key transit hub in the international narcotics supply chain, linking producers in South and Central Asia to markets in Europe and beyond. The Pathfinder National Security Brief on illegal drug trafficking reveals that most narcotics entering Sri Lanka are trafficked through the Arabian Sea, making maritime smuggling the dominant method of infiltration.
This intricate web of trafficking involves a multinational criminal infrastructure: drug suppliers based in Pakistan’s tribal regions, Iranian transporters traversing the Indian Ocean, and Sri Lankan-origin dealers operating from the Gulf. Once in Sri Lanka, the drugs are distributed along the coastal belt by operatives with direct ties to criminal syndicates in the Middle East. In addition to sea routes, narcotics enter via shipping containers, airline passengers, postal services, and even courier parcels, highlighting the scale and sophistication of the operation.
The Pathfinder Foundation emphasizes the urgent need for a National Drug Control Strategy, warning that Sri Lanka’s vulnerability is amplified by its regional context. With South Asia’s complex blend of post-conflict, underdeveloped, and middle-income states, coordinated regional action is necessary. Governments, civil society, law enforcement, and academic institutions must collectively contribute to a comprehensive, multi-stakeholder response.
The problem is not just structural it’s escalating. Statistics from the National Dangerous Drug Control Board (NDDCB) show an alarming surge in drug-related arrests. In 2023, a total of 162,088 arrests were made up 90% from 2019, when the figure stood at 89,321. Of these 2023 arrests, 42.2% involved cannabis, 40.8% heroin, and 16.1% methamphetamine. Meanwhile, drug seizures are on the rise, with cannabis confiscations more than doubling and meth-related seizures climbing significantly between 2019 and 2022.
These trends align with broader regional patterns. A report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) found that while opium cultivation in Afghanistan dropped a staggering 95% in 2023 following the Taliban’s 2022 ban on narcotics, methamphetamine trafficking surged. The vacuum left by declining opium output is being filled by amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) and chemical precursors, posing an even more insidious threat.
The shift from plant-based narcotics like heroin to synthetic drugs brings long-term dangers: an expected rise in addiction rates among youth, greater pressure on rehabilitation infrastructure, and a potential flood of low-purity heroin cut with hazardous additives.
The message is clear—Sri Lanka’s drug crisis has evolved. No longer just a cannabis-consumer state, the country now faces a chemically driven, regionally coordinated narcotics network that threatens national security, public health, and regional stability. Without swift, strategic action, the island risks becoming a permanent node in the global synthetic drug trade.
