Talk by Shri Rakesh Asthana on Narco-Terrorism and Drug Trafficking

The Internal Security Centre of MP-IDSA organised a talk on ‘Narco-Terrorism and Drug Trafficking’ by Shri Rakesh Asthana (IPS Retd.), former Commissioner of Delhi, on 10 February 2023. The other two discussants on the panel were Shri Jayant Mishra, Executive Council Member and Shri Shantanu Sinha, Research Fellow, MP-IDSA. It was chaired by Ambassador Sujan R. Chinoy, T20 Chair and Director General MP-IDSA, attended by Deputy Director-General MP-IDSA Maj. Gen. (Dr.) Bipin Bakshi and MP-IDSA scholars.

Executive Summary

Deltails about drug trafficking and abuse in India were discussed. The organised crime network’s linkages with terrorism are a significant threat to India’s National Security and this aspect was elaborated upon during the discussion. It was pointed out that the setting up of the National Narcotics Coordination mechanism (NCORD) in furthering the agenda of dealing with such organised terror with improved coordination will help address the threat.

Report

In his welcome remarks, Amb. Sujan Chinoy pointed out the growing menace of drug trafficking and its linkages with terrorism to India’s national security. Proximity to the Golden Triangle makes India vulnerable to the trafficking of narcotics and drugs manufactured there and to the reverse flow of precursor chemicals to these regions, especially Myanmar. The proceeds from sale of narcotics and drugs are then used to fund insurgencies and other illegal activities. He said a similar situation is there on the western border, where Afghanistan and Pakistan have become the epicentre of the drug trade. India has become not only a centre for transit but also a significant consumption centre over the years. Recently, it has been observed that those who promote terrorism in India from across the border are using the proceeds of such drug sales to finance terror activities. Drones are being used for drug trafficking from across the border. Punjab has become a significant problem, and many drugs come through the Attari border. The money generated through them finds its way into Kashmir for funding terrorism. There have been many seizures off the coast of Gujarat, and several arms and drug consignments have been seized in the island territory of Lakshwadeep. There seems to be an emerging nexus between the AfPak region and geographies as far south as Maldives and Sri Laka. Amb. Chinoy concluded his opening remarks by saying how the complex maritime environment threatens India’s coastal security and drug abuse is a social problem that even Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed in his Mann ki Baat.

Defining the Drug

Mr. Asthana started by explaining what a drug is and differentiating its various forms. There are two types of drugs, narcotic and psychotropic. Narcotic drugs can again be divided into two, plant-based and synthetic. Poppy, Cannabis and Coca are plant-based drugs. Poppy’s derivatives are Heroin, Morphine, Codeine and Oxycodone. Marijuana and Hashish are derived from Cannabis, and Cocaine is made out of the Coca plant. These are the three significant drugs which are used by people all over the world. Another emerging area is synthetic narcotic drugs such as Fentanyl, Methadone, Hydrocodone, etc., which are pharmaceutical drugs that are misused. Psychotropic substances affect the central nervous system. They are medicines that are misused to get high on them, ultimately resulting in a person's death. The third area is that of precursor chemicals used to manufacture synthetic opioids. Most of the precursor chemicals are of dual use. They have legitimate use cases in the pharmaceutical industry; the other use case is for manufacturing illegal psychotropic substances.

Drug Trafficking and Abuse in India

Mr. Asthana highlighted the scale of drug abuse in India. A large number of the youth in India are into drug abuse. AIIMS, Delhi had conducted a detailed survey in 2019 concerning drug abuse in the country. The study's results revealed the extent of the problem in India, where 31 million users of Cannabis, 23 million users of opioids and 11.9 million users of pharmaceutical sedatives are addicts. 2.06% of the population is affected, the average of which is far greater than in Asia and the world. A presentation was made for the Prime Minister, where he advised using the terminology of Death Cresent and Death Triangle. The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has started using this terminology since then. It was a valid point made by the Prime Minister, opined Mr. Asthana, as it has adversely affected the State of Punjab and the Northeast Region of India.

It is a lucrative trade for drug traffickers but a death knell for society, he said. An addict requires a 0.5-milligram dose per day, that is, 360 metric tons of opioids per year, for all the addicts in India which is one metric ton per day. They cost 2-3 crores per kilogram, which is Rs. 1,45,000 crore of business annually. Against which the seizure was only 2.4 metric tons of Heroin in 2019 which is hardly 7% of the whole. After the NCB and state police forces were sensitised to the results of this survey, seizures went up to 7.1 metric tons in 2021, which is 19.7%. It is only the tip of the iceberg, and much work towards enforcement is required urgently.

A Threat to India’s National Security

Drug trafficking is a borderless crime, and its extent makes it very difficult to control. Death Cresent and Triangle produce 98% of heroin and meth for the world, which is being pushed into India for consumption and transit to other parts like Western Europe, Australia and Africa. Cocaine is primarily produced in South American countries, and via Africa or the Gulf, it reaches India by air or sea. Methamphetamine made in Myanmar is transported through the sea route, contributing the most to the total US$ 8 billion of business done per annum worldwide. The trafficking routes in India are the Line of Control in Jammu & Kashmir and the trade route at Attari. Sea routes are through the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal.

The area under cultivation for the Poppy plant in Afghanistan decreased from 2017 to 2018. However, the outflow of Opium based drugs has only increased since the Taliban took over the country as it is the most significant contributor to their revenue. In 2022, the Indian Navy and Coast Guard played an enormous role in seizing 2,009 kilograms of Heroin from the high seas. In the same year, 1,063 kilograms of heroin was seized from the land routes. There is also a new trend of using drones to drop off drugs across the border in the northwest.

The drug lords of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran work together to push heroin through the Arabian Sea. Acetic Anhydride manufactured in India is shipped illegally to Pakistan and Iran and is used in making Heroin. After the abrogation of article 370 in Kashmir and the subsequent strengthening of security along the border, it became tough for the drug traffickers in the northwest to smuggle drugs across the border, so they shifted to the maritime route. For the last four years, the NCB has worked closely with the Indian Navy and Coast Guard, whose coordination with the Coast Guards of Sri Lanka and Maldives resulted in many seizures at sea.

The Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) supports the drug lords in Pakistan, and the money generated through their activities is being used to fund terrorist activities in India. The Haji Saleem network uses terrorists in India to carry out their activities. Eight Indian assets of their network have been identified in a Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) investigation whose links go back to the ISI and other contacts in Sri Lanka and Australia. According to Mr. Asthana, such analyses help understand the magnitude of the problem at hand.

The Kasargod network is another example worth mentioning, as per Mr. Asthana. It is a vast network with contacts in Sri Lanka, Gulf and Pakistan. They traditionally produced Ganja and sold it in the rest of India and Sri Lanka. Gradually they moved into operating with other complex narcotics. Recently, their linkages within Lakshwadeep and Maldives have also been mapped out. They also previously worked with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The kingpin of this network, Mohsin K.P., is running the show from jail in Qatar.

Rebel-controlled Shan and Kachin provinces of Myanmar share their border with China. These rebels depend on China, and the Chinese chemical industry is very active in the regions across the border. Therefore, almost 90% of precursors are being supplied by the Chinese. This dynamic has significant implications for India’s internal security. They are using the money generated to fund insurgency in the northeast and left-wing extremism in India with the supply of weapons. The rebels of Shan and Kachin are thriving through this business with backing from the Chinese. This issue needs to be addressed with just as much tenacity as India takes care of the northwest border. More than 2,000 kilograms of heroin and meth were seized from Myanmar in the Bay of Bengal, the most infamous variant being that of the Yaba tablets.

A new trend that has emerged during NCB’s investigation is that drug handlers from abroad are hiring local gangsters in India to carry out their activities. Drugs are being used to lure people to work for them. The NCB, National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the state police forces are all working in tandem to curb such instances. The druglords of Mexico are planning to set up a cocaine manufacturing facility in India because India is the largest manufacturer of Potassium Permanganate, which is used to treat the Coca paste for it become Cocaine.

Higher Organisation

The Ministry of Home Affairs devised a great proposal to create a four-tiered National Narcotics Coordination mechanism (NCORD). NCB is the nodal agency tasked with coordinating with various agencies against drug trafficking. The Home and Special Secretaries head the Apex and Executive Committees at the Central Government level. Chief Secretaries and District SPs head the state and district-level Committees. In addition, a Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) system is led by the DG NCB, which is supposed to ensure coordination in investigations and anti-trafficking operations.

In conclusion, Mr. Asthana affirmed that the Government of India is committed to fighting drug trafficking and abuse. Besides being a security threat it is also a social problem also that needs to be fought constructively on the demand side and operationally on the supply side.

Amb. Chinoy thanked Mr. Asthana for an ennumerative and informative briefing and remarked that it is a great challenge to the nation. He shared a brief anecdote from his time in Mexico, where the Americans contacted India as they discovered that drug precursors were coming from India, as mentioned by Mr. Asthana. Mr. Jayant Mishra was then invited for his comments.

Mr. Mishra began his remarks by praising Mr. Asthana for being the frontline warrior while NCB’s NCORD initiative took shape in his capacity as the DG. He made the following brief observations:

• Drug trafficking is not a stand-alone threat but is interlaced with arms and human trafficking. Darknet markets are used for trafficking of drugs and precursors.
• Wildlife and antique trafficking are also intertwined with drug trafficking.
• There are a rising number of adolescent users, and the gender gap is reducing with psychotropic drug users compared to narcotic users.
• Hard drug markets being created in the west cause concern regarding terror financing.
• While new and emerging technologies are used to curb drug trafficking, drug traffickers use them to conduct thier business.

After Mr. Mishra concluded with his remarks, Amb. Chinoy made a mention about Kashmiri school girls consuming drugs and how Chinese fentanyl is destroying the American countryside. He then invited Mr Sinha to speak.

Mr. Sinha highlighted how Pakistan’s narco-terrorist designs against India constantly evolve and how they are reviving Khalistani militancy and pushing drugs and arms into India.

Amb. Chinoy thanked Mr. Asthana for bringing out the Khalistani element and its role in drug trafficking in the region and opened up the floor for a Q&A session.

Comments

Ms. Ruchita Beri asked if any Africans were involved in drug trafficking to India. Mr. Asthana highlighted that many Africans from Nigeria, Mozambique, South Africa, etc., are overstaying their visas in India and are involved with the smuggling of Cocaine and Heroin. He said it is a complex issue involving another country's citizens and must be dealt with diplomatically.

Comdt. Manoranjan raised the query whether closed pharmaceutical industries could be involved in drug trafficking. Mr. Asthana said that such factories in Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat are engaged in these activities.

Mr. Khare asked about the employment status of high-precision vehicle scanners for detection near borderlands. Mr. Asthana said that they are being deployed in the northeast region.

Capt. Bisen asked if a regional cooperative mechanism for Indian Ocean littoral states can be conceived against drug trafficking. Mr. Asthana said that there is already a significant amount of international cooperation through the NCB, and there are mechanisms already in place for the same in BIMSTEC and SCO.

Comdt. Srivastava, Col. Chada and Capt. Bisen’s queries about whether amendments in laws regarding greater synergy between the plethora of agencies involved and focus on the terrorism side of narcotics is needed, Mr. Asthana reiterated that there is already excellent coordination between the NCB, Enforcement Directorate and NIA. He mentioned that a draft regarding amendments to the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act is currently being discussed by the law commission. Additionally, the NCB is being stregthened with enhanced manpower and resources to effectively deal with the threat of drug trafficking in the country.

Report prepared by Mr. Nikhil Guvvadi, Intern, Counter Terrorism Centre, MP-IDSA.