<p>The United Nations has pointed out that India is fast emerging as world’s major source for illegal drug trafficking online with banned substances being smuggled using the country’s postal and courier services to the rest of the world. <br /><br />“The new trends of illegally operating internet pharmacies are emerging fast in India. Orders placed online are often dispatched to buyers in other countries using courier or postal services,” a latest report released by the United Nation’s International Narcotics Control Board has said.<br /><br />Private companies in the guise of software firms allow transactions on internet of banned pharmaceutical preparations. In 2002, India first detected the presence of such companies and started cracking them. In 2008, three internet pharmacies operating in India and selling drugs to US customers were shut down, the report says.<br /><br />Over the past few years, large quantities of drugs seized in many cities like New York or countries like Sri Lanka, Maldives, United Kingdom, South Africa, France, Honduras and Guatemala originated from India. This also highlighted the presence of deep rooted trafficking network in India. <br /><br />While urging the Indian government to adopt stringent measures to prevent use of internet for illegal activities, the UN body said it was working closely with the government to curb this menace. <br /><br />The report says that India is the primary source of injectible drugs such as pethidine and morphine widely abused in Bangladesh and Bhutan. In India, pharmaceutical preparations containing dextropropoxyphene are commonly used by persons who abuse drugs by injection. Such preparations are often used as an alternative to heroin since these are cheaper and more easily available.<br /><br />Though India produces and exports large quantities of opium derived from legit cultivation, access to morphine for the treatment of pain remains limited in the country. <br />This proves the large scale diversion of morphine for illegal use. <br /><br />Cyber crime<br />Traffickers use postal and courier services to send drugs worldwide <br />Illegal internet pharmacies emerging fast<br />Large scale diversion of morphine for illegal use<br />India has become primary source of injectible drugs<br />UN body working closely with the government to curb menace </p>
<p>The United Nations has pointed out that India is fast emerging as world’s major source for illegal drug trafficking online with banned substances being smuggled using the country’s postal and courier services to the rest of the world. <br /><br />“The new trends of illegally operating internet pharmacies are emerging fast in India. Orders placed online are often dispatched to buyers in other countries using courier or postal services,” a latest report released by the United Nation’s International Narcotics Control Board has said.<br /><br />Private companies in the guise of software firms allow transactions on internet of banned pharmaceutical preparations. In 2002, India first detected the presence of such companies and started cracking them. In 2008, three internet pharmacies operating in India and selling drugs to US customers were shut down, the report says.<br /><br />Over the past few years, large quantities of drugs seized in many cities like New York or countries like Sri Lanka, Maldives, United Kingdom, South Africa, France, Honduras and Guatemala originated from India. This also highlighted the presence of deep rooted trafficking network in India. <br /><br />While urging the Indian government to adopt stringent measures to prevent use of internet for illegal activities, the UN body said it was working closely with the government to curb this menace. <br /><br />The report says that India is the primary source of injectible drugs such as pethidine and morphine widely abused in Bangladesh and Bhutan. In India, pharmaceutical preparations containing dextropropoxyphene are commonly used by persons who abuse drugs by injection. Such preparations are often used as an alternative to heroin since these are cheaper and more easily available.<br /><br />Though India produces and exports large quantities of opium derived from legit cultivation, access to morphine for the treatment of pain remains limited in the country. <br />This proves the large scale diversion of morphine for illegal use. <br /><br />Cyber crime<br />Traffickers use postal and courier services to send drugs worldwide <br />Illegal internet pharmacies emerging fast<br />Large scale diversion of morphine for illegal use<br />India has become primary source of injectible drugs<br />UN body working closely with the government to curb menace </p>
