Chennai: Tamil Nadu has emerged as a major node in international methamphetamine trafficking networks, driven in part by its geographical and cultural proximity to Sri Lanka, where the drug is gaining popularity among users. On Friday, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized 137 kg of crystal methamphetamine, valued at more than Rs 100 crore, from a coastal village in Nagapattinam and arrested four men, including N Boopalan, a functionary of the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). The seizure is among the biggest drug hauls in recent times in Tamil Nadu by enforcement agencies.
The consignment had been brought to Nagapattinam over a period of time and stored in 27 bags weighing approximately 5 kg each. It was allegedly destined for Sri Lanka. Nagapattinam offers an advantage to cross-border traffickers, lying about 60 nautical miles from the Sri Lankan port of Kankesanthurai, a journey of around four hours by sea. In the past, Tuticorin and Rameswaram, separated from Sri Lanka by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, respectively, have also served as transit points for drug consignments transported along traditional gold-smuggling routes.
Investigations into several methamphetamine trafficking cases detected by the DRI, Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and Tamil Nadu Police have established the involvement of Sri Lankan Tamils living in India, who allegedly play a crucial role in facilitating cross-border trafficking and payment networks. Official data from Sri Lanka’s National Dangerous Drugs Control Board underline the scale of the problem. Authorities seized 871.1 kg of methamphetamine in the first five months of 2026. In 2025, seizures totalled 3,886 kg, making methamphetamine the second most seized drug after cannabis.
A senior Indian enforcement official said Sri Lanka had emerged as an international transit point, with methamphetamine being trafficked onwards to Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and the Maldives. In June 2026, a 25-year-old man was arrested at Chennai airport for allegedly attempting to smuggle 5 kg of methamphetamine to Malaysia. “There is a big fight among gangsters in Sri Lanka over control of the meth trade, as it is now extremely lucrative,” the official said. The trade has also generated substantial proceeds in India.
The Enforcement Directorate found that alleged methamphetamine trafficker M Alex, who was arrested in 2025, had purchased 54 shrimp farms in Nagapattinam using drug money. Colonel R Hariharan, an expert on Sri Lanka, attributed the trend partly to demand from the growing number of international tourists visiting the island nation. “It is a costly drug, which is why it may not be abused by locals that widely,” he said. Indian agencies are working closely with their counterparts in Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Australia to curb the trade, he added.
According to officials, methamphetamine reaches Tamil Nadu through two major trafficking corridors: the Golden Crescent, comprising Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran, by sea, and the Golden Triangle, comprising Myanmar, Laos and Thailand, by land or sea. North Chennai has established trading networks with Moreh, a border town in Manipur, through which methamphetamine is trafficked from Myanmar.
Of late, the drug has increasingly been routed through Delhi before reaching Tamil Nadu, official sources said. Intelligence sources said consignments were increasingly being routed through Delhi before being distributed to other destinations. In the case uncovered by the DRI last week, investigators have not ruled out the possibility that the methamphetamine was manufactured locally in India.
In November 2024, the Indian Coast Guard seized 6,016 kg of methamphetamine, reportedly worth Rs 36,000 crore, in the Andaman Sea. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted follow-up searches in Chennai and Madurai two months ago.
