Customs warns of increasing trend in drug smuggling through postal packages

Sri Lanka Customs has warned of a growing trend of narcotics being smuggled into the country through international postal packages, saying traffickers are increasingly using small consignments to evade detection. Speaking at a media briefing on the progress of the national anti-drug operation on Thursday (16), Customs Spokesman Chandana Punchihewa said Customs had carried out four drug detection operations at Bandaranaike International Airport and nine raids involving postal parcels during June 2026, resulting in the seizure of a combined 83.2 kilograms of narcotics in total. “In June 2026, Sri Lanka Customs carried out four drug detection operations at Bandaranaike International Airport and nine raids involving small postal parcels. Through these operations, we seized a total of 83.2 kilograms of narcotics,” Punchihewa said. While the total seizures included airport detections, Punchihewa said the use of postal packages to smuggle drugs into Sri Lanka has become an increasing concern. He explained that the large volume of international mail arriving in Sri Lanka every day makes it impossible to physically inspect every parcel; therefore, Customs instead relies on scanner technology to identify suspicious parcels before conducting detailed inspections. Punchihewa said authorities have also observed an increase in attempts to smuggle “Kush” into Sri Lanka through the postal network, with many of the intercepted parcels originating from Thailand. Despite the relatively small quantities found in individual packages, he warned that the impact could be significant. “Compared to the total quantity of drugs seized in the country, 83.02 kilograms may appear small, but the social impact is enormous. These parcels can be addressed directly to the end user, and traffickers often mix these drugs with other substances to increase the quantity before selling them,” he said. (Newswire)