Large drug seizures in India have raised alarm bells and raised serious concerns about the credibility of Indian security agencies within international drug regulatory bodies, as these agencies play a double game.
In this regard, on September 16, 2021, India’s Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized a gargantuan consignment of three tonnes of refined heroin from a warehouse in Ahmedabad. Similarly, on September 15, the DRI uncovered one of the biggest drug busts in India: nearly three tonnes of Afghan heroin were seized, worth an estimated Rs 15,000 crore, at the port of Mundra, in Gujarat. In recent years, these events have continued unabated.
A report suggests an increase in drug trafficking to the northwest coast of India, explaining: “Drug cartels are managing to take a much larger quantity than is seized. This indicates that India has become a key destination for narcotics… The growing volume of drug trafficking means that Indian coasts remain vulnerable to the possibility of narcoterrorist attacks.
It is now clear that huge drug shipments and suspicious handling by Indian authorities can be seen as a way to resolve the problems.
The shipment of heroin confiscated at the Mundra port came from Kandahar and was loaded into two containers at the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas. These narcotics were headed to Delhi. Mundra Port is managed by a company owned by Indian business tycoon Gautam Adani, a close friend of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Indian authorities boast of the seizure as one of the largest catches ever made by a drug enforcement agency in documented history and say the Indian government has a highly trained counter-drug force.
But the circumstances surrounding the seizure have raised eyebrows around the world. The circles concerned asked a multitude of questions which remained unanswered.
India is a major transit country for drugs which are also smuggled to Europe and North America. The country also faces a significant drug problem, with millions of people addicted to drugs such as heroin, opium and cannabis.
Many Indian states involved in international drug cartels run multi-billion dollar illegal businesses.
According to the UN-backed International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), India has become a major hub for trafficking and illicit drugs. India shared a significant share of the global drug trade, worth over $650 billion.
From the opium fields of Afghanistan, under the watchful eye of insurgent warlords, illicit opium poppy cultivation fuels India’s drug empire. India’s insatiable demand is for narcotics, and Afghanistan is the main source of high-quality heroin and opium.
New Delhi has launched a new trade route to landlocked Afghanistan by sea via Iran’s strategic Chabahar port, which is a natural gateway for drugs originating from Afghanistan and channeled by Indian drug syndicates.
According to the UN report: “Approximately 284 million people aged 15 to 64 used drugs globally in 2020, an increase of 26% compared to the previous decade…India is the fourth most large quantity of opium seized in 2020. (Representation)…India is one of the largest opiate markets in the world in terms of users and likely to be vulnerable to increased supply as there are already signs that an intensification of opioid trafficking from Afghanistan may be taking place.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) World Drug Report 2022 highlighted: “11.2 million people worldwide inject drugs…India is the largest market of opiates in the world… south and west along the traditional Balkan route… The consequences could range from increased consumption to increased levels of trafficking and associated organized crime… the question arises whether the Increased availability of opiates could lead to an increase in the number of heroin overdoses and whether increased purity could affect the harm caused by heroin use.
The report states: “India had the fourth largest quantity of opium seized in 2020 with 5.2 tonnes and the third largest quantity of morphine was also seized in the country in the same year with 0.7 tonnes… In 2020, nine countries in Asia reported seizures amounting to 0.7 tonnes. a total of 1.2 tonnes of tramadol, with India accounting for all but 39 kg. In 2019, India reported seizures amounting to 144 kg, while six other countries reported combined seizures amounting to 70 kg.
It adds: “Illicit opium cultivation takes place in India, mainly in Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal and Arunachal Pradesh…The drug trade in India involves organized criminal groups, especially at the retail level… High profits and less strict penalties for drug offenses. offenses…Efforts to combat drug abuse and manage the trade have not been successful, leading to the expansion of drug use and trade…Large quantities are smuggled from India to African countries.
It is notable that Italian police seized a shipment of Tramadol, which they claimed to have sold to the Islamic State in Libya from India. In this regard, the BBC reported: “Italian police said that the shipment came from India… It was established that the shipment of tramadol drugs came from an Indian pharmaceutical company, which sold it for 250 000 dollars to an importer based in Dubai. Narcoterrorism in India finds its sources in drug trafficking and the financing of terrorism in the region.
In this context, the Vienna-headquartered International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) has released its annual report for 2021, highlighting the drug situation in South Asia and India under the theme “Analysis of the world situation. The report finds that India is among the “most frequently” destinations listed in the South Asia region for shipping drugs traded on the darknet, although the country’s big pharmaceutical companies remain “vulnerable to diversion of their products for drug trafficking.”
In the recent past, the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) and the Punjab Police have exposed Indian smuggling gangs using drones to smuggle across the border. The BSF also admitted in a press release: “Indian smugglers send drones to Pakistan where their counterparts load them with drugs and Indian smugglers fly them back.”
In fact, New Delhi has also used drug money to fund anti-Pakistan proxies and cross-border terrorism to destabilize Pakistan.
Nevertheless, a sinister underbelly of international drug trafficking thrives in India, as it harbors a dark secret that transcends its borders. This is the story of India’s Golden Silk Road of drugs, and the high-stakes cronyism that ensnared powerful business tycoons and, under the aegis of Indian government officials, reached the corridors of political power.
India is a major transit country for drugs which are also smuggled to Europe and North America. The country also faces a significant drug problem, with millions of people addicted to drugs such as heroin, opium and cannabis.
Renowned analysts/specialists and major international media are inclined to draw strong conclusions based on recent events and past facts regarding the involvement of the Indian state in a sophisticated global drug trafficking network. Nevertheless, India’s growing role in the global drug trade has been exposed.
