Expect more surprises in drugs case

Investigators say they are on the heels of the rich and influential in the supply chain

The Bengaluru drug scam case is taking the police, by their own admission, to places they have never seen before.

“There will be a huge crackdown in the next few days,” a senior officer investigating the Bengaluru drug racket told Metrolife.

Senior policemen investigating the drug racket say they are keeping track of the big fish, and also spaces on the dark web similar to AlphaBay, officially shut down in 2017.

AlphaBay was a marketplace 10 times the size of its predecessor Silk Road, busted in October 2013, and spaces like that used extensively by those who deal in contraband. “You get all kinds of narcotic substances there. You also get banned books, computer equipment and skimmers,” he says. Porn is also on the dark web since it assures users anonymity. “They use the incognito mode and it is not easy to track down the IP address,” he says.

The Internet has three layers—what we use is only four to 10 per cent. The second and third layers that form the dark net and the deep net respectively are not visible in the public domain, he explains. “Users create fake accounts. While international business is done using cryptocurrency, local transactions are done only in cash,” he says.

Smuggling tricks

Drugs are ordered on apps and the item is delivered in the form of toothpastes and soap boxes. While road transport is used most of the time, some airports, such as the ones in Delhi, Chennai and Goa, are also used to bring in drugs.

“Scanning and checking is not as stringent there as they are in Mumbai and Bengaluru. Bengaluru is a city of young people with disposable income so this is the preferred market,”
informs the officer. While ganja is grown in large quantities in Orissa and West Bengal, synthetic drugs come from Africa and Russia. Police say two areas in Karnataka are also growing it extensively: Malur and Chamarajanagar. Synthetic drugs are brought to Goa and later distributed to Nigerians and Russians, who keep the supply going all over the country, the officer says.

Witness challenge

The main challenge for the police is to provide an independent witness.

“We have to gather evidence through digital data which requires many levels of tracking. They maintain secrecy and don’t disclose names. They have their own modus operandi to misguide the police,” says the officer. Nigerians arrested for peddling are usually physically strong.

They stop eating and cite health reasons to evade investigation. They also pretend they don’t know any language the police are speaking, according to the officer. They use Whatsapp, Signal Call and Botim to do business, and they can’t be traced,” he says.

Bengaluru hubs

In 2017-18, the Central Crime Branch of the Bengaluru police made 80 arrests. The peddlers usually live and operate in TC Palya, K R Puram, Ramamurthy Nagar, Avallahalli, Yelahanka and Banaswadi because these are places with limited surveillance. The officer also points out that while it doesn’t take much to grow ganja, manufacturing drugs like MDMA and ecstasy calls for huge investments. “You can manufacture these drugs in a laboratory if you have the equipment to make them. Many look up the Internet and put the drug combinations together,” says the officer.

Who takes them?

Synthetic drugs are consumed by the rich, while ganja is used by the less affluent. “The elite scout for safe and secure havens to party and consume drugs. Some hosts have the licences and the muscle power to run the racket,” says the officer.

Eye on borders

Dr C N Ashwathnarayan, deputy chief minister, says the Karnataka police are keeping an eye on inter-state vehicles. Primary and Secondary Education Minister S Suresh Kumar says however influential or affluent the offenders may be, the government will deal with them in a firm hand. “We want to grow beyond politics and communities in our crackdown against drugs,” he told Metrolife.

Politics-free

The drug trail is leading the police to politically influential people in Karnataka and Kerala. Political analyst Sandeep Shastri believes no drug racket can thrive without the support of the rich and the influential. “The government must empower independent institutions to check the drug trade. This must not be converted into a political act,” he says.

Smuggled in shoes, condoms

The most common way of smuggling drugs is to swallow them. The contraband is neatly packed in a condom and swallowed. Smugglers don’t drink or eat anything during the journey. They then take it out using an enema, an investigator says. Shoes and suitcases, with hidden compartments, are also used to transport drugs. Narcotics sometimes come hidden in fish and packed into items with a strong smell.

High-profile arrests

Sep 3: RTO employee Ravi Shankar, friend of actor Ragini Dwivedi.

Sep 4: Ragini Dwivedi, businessman Viren Khanna.

Sept 5: African ‘peddler’ Loum Pepper Samba.

Sep 7: Niyaz, a ‘supplier’ from Kerala.

Sep 8: Actor Sanjjanaa Galrani

Punishment

Jail term for narcotics crimes range from six months to 20 years.

Large footprint

The Golden Crescent is the slice of the opium-producing area that cuts across Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan and the Golden Triangle is made up of Thailand-Myanmar, Laos and China. Young people from these regions are forced into the business because of poverty and unemployment. They reach India on medical and business visas and overstay, according to the police.