Sri Lanka: Frontline officials boost skills to counter synthetic drug threats through UNODC’s specialized training

Negombo, Sri Lanka/14 November 2025: With synthetic drugs transforming the crime landscape across South Asia, frontline officials face mounting pressure to respond swiftly, precisely and with scientific rigor. The proliferation of new psychoactive substances, complex trafficking networks, and advanced chemical concealment techniques has heightened the urgency for law enforcement agencies to strengthen forensic expertise and modern investigative skills. This need becomes particularly critical in cases where a single footprint, a faint fingerprint, a trace of powder on a surface can serve as critical evidence unlocking the narrative of a far bigger story.

Through a UNODC training in Negombo, 29 law enforcement and forensic officials from Sri Lanka and the Maldives enhanced their knowledge and skills on countering synthetic drugs through effective crime scene investigations, asset-based approaches and special techniques. Supported by the US government, the capacity building initiative fostered a multi-agency and cross-border learning environment, combining intensive and hands-on exercises.

Using UNODC’s crime scene investigation kits, officers worked through realistic mock crime scenes, practicing how to protect drug-related scenes, identify and collect evidence, prevent contamination, and maintain chain-of-custody standards. They strengthened competencies in entomology, fingerprint analysis, documentation processes, and coordinated handover procedures, skills many participants described as essential for improving the credibility and admissibility of forensic evidence in court.

The training also enhanced participants’ confidence in managing high-risk operations. Through hands-on modules on first aid, scene safety, and emergency response, officials gained practical tools to protect both themselves and the integrity of evidence when dealing with volatile drug environments.

Building on these operational foundations, a follow-up two-day training delved into the financial and strategic dimensions of synthetic drug trafficking. Participants explored follow-the-money methods, alternative confiscation tools, forensic accounting basics, electronic surveillance, undercover operations, and controlled deliveries. For many frontline officers, this offered a structured exposure to asset-recovery frameworks, enabling them to better understand how financial investigations can dismantle criminal networks more effectively than standalone seizures.

Throughout the week, officials underscored two major takeaways: the need to integrate forensic rigor with financial intelligence, and the critical role of cooperation across agencies and borders. The joint participation of Sri Lankan and Maldivian agencies enabled officers to exchange insights, compare challenges, compare investigative approaches, and establish a foundation for future collaboration in tackling trafficking networks, routes that increasingly span the Indian Ocean.

This activity contributed to SDG 16 and SDG 17: https://sdg-tracker.org/

(Supported by the US Government)