Both India and Pakistan do realise that the drug trade which is rampant in both countries is becoming a major headache. Very recently both the countries entered into a pact to ensure that the drug trade is curbed as they feel it is the interest of both nations to put the breaks on the same.
It is a well know fact that Afghanistan and Pakistan is the birth places of the drug trade which eventually spills into India. Going by the manner in which India has managed to curb the drug trade one could say that there is a lot work that remains in this department. It has not increased over the years, but it has not come down as of yet.
India may expect a lot from Pakistan to curb the drug trade, but should also remember that it would be better if we secure our borders instead of eternally waiting for some action from that end. Pakistan would first need to control its own spy agency which has actually used this drug trade to raise funds for terror operations.
Until recently India had a problem with the drug trade which was emanating out of the Pakistan border. Today there is a problem with the Bangladesh border too. It is a two edged sword when it comes to improving trade ties with these countries. While on one hand relations do improve on the other there are many who use these friendly ties to further a drug trade as well.
Today when one looks at the scenario, it becomes clear that Rajasthan has become the major landing point from where drugs are distributed to the rest of the country. It has become a pick up point and to make matters worse there is a Kenyan and Nigerian mafia which also helps in distribution of drugs in India.
Over the past couple of months there have been a series of arrests that have been carried out in Rajasthan all of which have been associated with the drug trade. Those persons who have been arrested have been found carrying a large quantity of drugs ranging between 20 to 38 kilograms of heroin and brown sugar.
The Intelligence Bureau has raised an alarm regarding Rajasthan and says that this has become a favourite landing point for everything illegal emanating out of Pakistan. Not only do drugs land in Rajasthan, but it has also become a hub for fake currency, IB report go on to suggest. A police officer from Rajasthan points out that during the course of their investigation they have found places such as Barmer and Bikaner to be notorious for this racket.
There are several touts in this state and the moment the consignments lands agents or representatives of other states do make arrangements to pick up the same. The racket is very high in places such as Goa, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, according to the police. Off late agencies have been finding Chennai to be a major hub for receiving drugs. The police have found that down south Chennai is the biggest hub and this is controlled directly by the Goa module.
The consignment lands here through traders who come in through the Pakistan border and it is collected by touts or agents who later distribute it to the rest of the country. Not only does this hurt India, but the same consignment is also sent outside the country and reaches the rest of the world too.
Indian agencies are finding it extremely difficult to monitor this trade and would need to put in a bigger effort while dealing with this problem. There is a 1100 kilometre long border with Pakistan here and it has become increasingly difficult to monitor everything that goes on here. Hence it becomes important that the bordering nation too puts in a lot of effort to undertake at least half the burden while controlling this racket. The police say that they and the army too are doing their best, but at times things do skip the eye and this is when a treaty with Pakistan would come in handy.
The IB says that it is not very easy to control this trade since terrorist outfits in particular will be looking for various ways to dodge the eyes of the security agencies. The money that is generated out of this trade is like feed for these organisations and like fake currency it funds a large part of their operations.
The ISI also plays a major part in furthering this trade. In fact they have used the D network to their advantage to carry out the drug trade. In fact the D network is very well connected and has its roots deep in India. They are very familiar with the terrain and have been managing to carry forward their activity with ease. The D gang has been instructed to cough up at least 30 per cent of the income generated out of the drug trade for terror activities. 95 per cent of the drug trade today is controlled by the D Gang and thanks to this groups such as the Lashkar-e-Tayiba manages to raise Rs 1500 crore per year.
Central agencies say that this is not something that can be dealt by the national agencies and the army alone. The state agencies too have their work cut out and unless there is proper cooperation and support this menace cannot be controlled. As per the Narcotics Control Bureau there are over five million drug addicts in India. The law clearly states that the NCB needs to provide all support to the state agencies and vice versa while dealing with this problem. The states have to send in a request seeking help to deal with the problem and the NCB has to act accordingly.
Today any state which is serious about dealing with the problem needs to satisfy the following requirements.
A multi-disciplinary level Coordination Committee under the Chairmanship of Chief Secretary or a senior Secretary.
Set up an Anti Narcotics Task Force under an IG level officer with duties and responsibilities duly demarcated.
Should have an action plan to address the issue which include identification of regions sensitive to drug trafficking.
If these conditions are satisfied then the NCB has to help the states set up surveillance units and laboratories. The NCB will also have to provide states with an annual grant which would be subject to an utilisation certificate being provided.
While these are things that have been set up in almost every state in the country, the bigger issue to address the issue right at the border itself. Latest reports do suggest that with the heat being upped on the Indo-Pak border, terror groups and smugglers have been using the Bangladesh border to further this racket. There needs to be very tight survellience in these borders or else the menace could only get worse.
The drug trade is directly associated with terrorism today and hence the issue becomes even more grave. When compared to the fake currency racket, the perpertrators of the trade have found it easier to supply drugs since there still continues to be a huge demand for the same. Moreover terror networks have been pushing this trade more aggressively off late since they find the need to raise more money for their operations.
vikashnanjappa 