Indian Smuggling of Narcotics Proved

By Sajjad Shaukat

Major drug busts in India have raised alarm bells and serious concerns regarding the credibility of Indian security agencies in international drug regulatory bodies, as these agencies are playing double game.

In this regard, on September 16, 2021, the Indian Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized a gargantuan consignment of three tons of refined heroin from an Ahmedabad (India) warehouse. Similarly, on September 15, this year, the DRI unearthed one of India’s largest drug hauls—Almost 3 tonnes of Afghan heroin was seized, estimated to be worth Rupees 15,000 crores-from the Mundra port in Gujarat. In the recent years, these occurrences continued unabated.

A report suggests rise in trafficking of drugs for north-west coast of India, explaining: “Drug cartels succeed in slipping through a much larger amount than what is seized. This indicates India has transitioned into a key narcotics destination…Workers wait for a cargo ship to beach at Mundra Port in Gujarat…The rising volume in drug trafficking implies that Indian coasts remain vulnerable to the possibility of Narco-terrorism attacks”.

It is now evident that a huge drug consignments and suspicious handling by Indian authorities can be termed as tying up of loose ends.

The shipload of heroin confiscated at the Mundra Port originated from Kandahar (Afghanistan) and was loaded into two containers at Iran’s Bandar Abbas port. These narcotics were headed to Dehli. Mundra Port is managed by an Indian company which is owned by an Indian business tycoon Mr. Adani, who is a close friend of Indian Prime Minister Narendar Modi. 

The Indian authorities are boasting about the seizure as one of the biggest catches ever in the documented history by any drug enforcement agency and projected Indian government for having highly skilled anti-narcotics force.

But, the circumstances surrounding the seizure raised eyebrows around the world. Concerned circles asked a plethora of questions which have remained unanswered.

Many states within India which have been involved with International Drug Cartels are running illegal multibillion dollar business.

As per UN backed International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), India has become a major hub for illicit drug and trafficking, India shared a major portion in global drug trade business worth today more than 650$ billion.

From the opium fields of Afghanistan, under the watchful gaze of insurgent warlords, the illicit cultivation of opium poppies fuels the India’s drug empire. India’s insatiable demand for narcotics, Afghanistan is the primary source of high-quality heroin and opium.

New Delhi has launched a new trade route to landlocked Afghanistan by sea through Iran’s strategic Chabahar port which is a natural gateway for drugs sourced from Afghanistan, a global supplier of narcotics, and routed by Indian drug syndicates.

According to the UN report: “Around 284 million people, aged 15-64 years, used drugs worldwide in 2020, 26 percent increase over the previous decade…India has the 4th largest quantities of opium seized in 2020. (Representational)…India is one of the world’s single largest opiate markets in terms of users and likely to be vulnerable to increased supply as there are already signs that an intensification of trafficking in opiates originating in Afghanistan may be taking place”.

The UN Office on Drugs and Crime’s (UNODC) World Drug Report 2022 pointed out: “11.2 million people worldwide were injecting drugs…India the world’s largest opiate markets…to southwards and westwards along the traditional Balkan route…Consequences could range from expanded use to increased levels of trafficking and associated organised crime…there is the question of whether the increased availability of opiates could bring an increased number of heroin overdoses and whether increased purity could affect the harm posed by heroin use”.

The report elaborated: “India has the fourth largest quantities of opium seized in 2020 at 5.2 tons and the third highest amount of morphine was also seized from the country the same year at 0.7 tons…In 2020, nine countries in Asia reported seizures amounting to a total of 1.2 tons of tramadol, with India accounting for all but 39 kg. In 2019, India reported seizures amounting to 144 kg, with six other countries reporting combined seizures amounting to 70 kg”.

It added: “llicit opium cultivation takes place in India primarily in, Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal and Arunachal Pradesh…Drug trade in India involves the organized crime groups, especially at the retail level…High profit and less stringent sentences for drug-related offenses….Efforts towards drug abuse and trade management have not been successful, leading to the expansion of drug use and trade…Vast quantities are smuggled out from India to African countries”.

It is notable that the Italian Police seized a shipload of Tramadol, which they claimed to be sold to the Islamic State in Libya from India. In this respect, the BBC reported: “The Italian Police as saying that the consignment had come from India…Tramadol drugs shipment were traced to be from an Indian pharmaceuticals company, which sold it for $250,000 to a Dubai based importer. Narco-terrorism in India has indigenous and sources through drug trafficking and funding terrorism in the region”.

In this connection, the Vienna-headquartered International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) has published its annual report for 2021 putting spotlight on the South Asian and the Indian drugs scenario under the topic “analysing of the world situation”. The report disclosed that India is among the “most frequently” listed destinations in the South Asian region for shipping drugs traded over the darknet even as large pharma-companies in the country remain “vulnerable to diversion of their products for narcotics trafficking”.

In the recent past, Indian Border Security Force (BSF) and the Punjab Police have exposed gangs of Indian smugglers using drones for smuggling from across the border. The BSF in a media statement also admitted: “Indian smugglers send drones to Pakistan where their counterparts would load it with drugs and Indian smugglers would fly them back”.

In fact, New Delhi has, also, been using drug money in funding the anti-Pakistan proxies and cross-border terrorism in order to destabilize Pakistan.

Nevertheless, a sinister underbelly of international drug trafficking thrives in India, as it conceals a dark secret which transcends its borders. This is the narrative of India’s Golden Drug Silk Route, and high—stakes patronage which has ensnared powerful business magnates 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 being smuggled to Europe and North America. The country also has a significant domestic drug problem, with millions of people addicted to drugs such as heroin, opium, and cannabis.

The acclaimed analysts/subject specialists and mainstream international media are inclined to draw solid conclusions based on recent events and past facts regarding Indian state’s involvement in worldwide sophisticated drug peddling network. Nonetheless, Indian smuggling of narcotics has proved.

Sajjad Shaukat writes on international affairs and is the author of the book, “US vs Islamic Militants, Invisible Balance of Power: Dangerous Shift in International Relations”.

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