JOIN USDrug haul is a wake-up call
The seizure of about 2,500 kg of high-purity methamphetamine off the Kochi coast last week in a joint operation by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and the Indian Navy is among the major drug hauls of recent times. The seized drugs are reported to be worth about Rs 15,000 crore. The seizure is part of ‘Operation Samudragupt’, which targets drug trafficking on the marine routes into the country.
Some other major drug hauls of recent times are the seizure of about 3,000 kg of Afghan heroin at Mundra port and of 303 kg of cocaine at Tuticorin port in 2021. The drugs seized at Kochi had been sourced mainly from Afghanistan. Large quantities of drugs have been seized under ‘Operation Samudragupt’ since its launch in January last year. The seizures underline the need for greater vigilance and intelligence-gathering and intensive patrolling in vulnerable areas.
Though the drugs seized in the Kochi operation were of Afghan origin, the trafficking was a Pakistani operation. The consignment was hidden in jute bags carrying labels of a Pakistan-based rice company. The mothership originated from the Makran coast of Pakistan and Iran. A Pakistani national has been taken into custody. Drug smuggling has increased recently, and more and more innovative methods are being used by the traffickers. An NCB report has said that the use of couriers, parcels, and postal services to smuggle drugs has gone up significantly in the past two years. According to the report, the increased use of couriers and postal services is linked to increased dark web activity in India. The restrictions on vehicular activity during the Covid-19 period made drug traffickers turn to the postal route, and now both methods are being used. Heroin trafficking is mainly done through the western land border and Nepal, and cocaine, originating in South America, is transported mainly through airports. New varieties of drugs which are also being developed are also sought to be smuggled into the country.
Narcotic drugs endanger the health of people and pose serious challenges to the economy. There are reports of rising use of drugs, and the seizures, massive as they are, is only a small part of the massive amounts that are smuggled into the country. Many a time, the traffickers prove themselves to be one step ahead of the law enforcement agencies. There is the need to improve the manpower, techniques and intelligence gathering capabilities of the agencies which fight drug trafficking. The distribution networks should be smashed, and the mafias and syndicates neutralised. Most importantly, there should be increased public awareness campaigns against drug consumption and enhanced efforts and systems to help addicts to get back to their normal lives.