Exclusive | Drug Trafficking Via NE Becoming A Major Concern For Law Enforcing Agencies

By Gautam Debroy

New Delhi: Inspite of several strong initiatives and actions adopted by the Centre like 'Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan' and zero tolerance against drugs, trafficking of drugs, especially from Myanmar, has become a major concern for the law-enforcing agencies.

Of late, the drug traffickers have started using Vijaynagar in Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh as a new entry point for smuggling drugs into the Northeast before it goes to the other states across the country.

According to a United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) report, the biggest concern for India is that the Chin State, with which India shares its border, witnessed the most significant increase of 18 per cent in poppy cultivation in 2024.

Myanmar Opium Survey 2024

The Northeast's close proximity to the infamous Golden Triangle - a large, mountainous region covering Myanmar, Thailand and Laos - further makes it a transit route for smuggling drugs across India.

The UNODC report in a latest survey over opium in Myanmar, said that the drug ban issued in Afghanistan in 2022 resulted in a 95 per cent decline in opium production in 2023, with Myanmar becoming the world’s main source of opium for the first time since 2001.

However, opium production in Myanmar declined in 2024 by about 8 per cent from 1,080 tons in 2023 to 995 tons in 2024. This is notable given that opium production in Myanmar jumped 38 per cent from 790 tons to 1,080 tons between the 2022 and 2023 surveys.

According to the UNODC report, "While opium cultivation in the Golden Triangle remains high, synthetic drug production has grown steadily and the illicit economy around online casinos and scam centres is expanding rapidly. Decisive action is needed to avoid the situation getting out of hand."

North Eastern Region, a vulnerable area for drug trafficking

According to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the North Eastern Region has emerged as one of the most vulnerable areas of India from the point of view of drug trafficking owing to its geographic location.

In two recent operations, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) recovered over 110 kg of Methamphetamine tablets near Imphal in Manipur and Silchar in Assam.

In one operation on March 13, the officers of NCB Imphal Zone intercepted a truck near Lilong area and, after thorough reconnaissance of the vehicle, recovered 102.39 kg of Methamphetamine tablets from the toolbox/cabin in the rear section of the truck. In this raid, two occupants of the truck were apprehended. In another operation on the same day, officers of NCB Guwahati Zone intercepted an SUV on the Assam–Mizoram border near Silchar and recovered 7.48 Kgs of Methamphetamine Tablets concealed inside the spare tire of the vehicle.

"No mercy for drug cartels. Accelerating the Modi government's march to build a drug-free 'Bharat', a massive consignment of methamphetamine tablets worth Rs 88 crore is seized, and four members of the international drug cartel are arrested in Imphal and Guwahati zones. The drug haul is a testament to the stellar performance of the bottom-to-top and top-to-bottom approach to investigation. Our hunt for drugs continues. Heartfelt congratulations to team NCB,” Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said, following the seizure of drugs.

The Drug Route

"Drugs come to India mostly from Myanmar's Kalaw in Shan and Tiddim in Chin State," a senior official from NCB told ETV Bharat. There are three different routes for trafficking drugs into India via the northeast. "The primary entry point to India is Moreh in Manipur via Tamu in Sagaing region of Myanmar. Similarly, Zokhawthar in Champhai district of Mizoram, though Rikhawdar in Chin State and Homalin across the Chindwin River in Sagaing region are the major trafficking routes," the official said.

"The bordering town of Vijaynagar in Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh emerged as a new entry point for smuggling drugs to the North East," the official added.

"The open border with Myanmar has always been a major concern for India. The drug traffickers always take advantage of the porous border to transport drugs into the Northeast. Once it reaches the Northeast, the drug traffickers, with the use of different methods, transport those drugs to their destinations across the country," said renowned security expert Brigadier (Retd) BK Khanna.

Actions to fight NE vulnerability

Identifying that NE is very much vulnerable to drug trafficking, the MHA had augmented the strength of NCB in the year 2023 and strengthened the war against drugs in the region.

NCB, through its five Zonal Units and a Regional Headquarters in North East, has been continuously working against the drug traffickers operating in the region, particularly against those involved in the trafficking of synthetic drugs such as Methamphetamine tablets, popularly known as YABA.

"Methamphetamine tablets have posed a threat to not only the young population of the region, but also to the security of the nation as a whole," the official said.

The Modus Operandi

Drugs coming from Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, and Tripura move towards other parts of the country via Assam. "Assam is one of the major transit routes from the Northeast. Drugs coming from Myanmar find their way to other parts of the country via Assam," said former deputy director general of NCB Sanjay Kumar Singh.

On many occasions, NCB busted several such drug cartels, which ascertained that drug dealers transport drugs from other states of Northeast via Assam to the rest of India.

"Major drug cartels also run through the darknet. In one instance, the agency had also arrested one major drug stockist from Assam when it busted a major drug cartel that was running through the darknet," said Singh.

Will Indo-Myanmar border fencing work

Shocked over the unabated violence in Manipur and the alleged involvement of the Myanmar based terrorists organsiations into the violence, the MHA has decided to fence the 1,643 km long India-Myanmar border.

The fencing, according to the MHA, will become a deterrent for the anti-national activities, including drug trafficking from Myanmar. The India-Myanmar border runs along the States of Arunachal Pradesh (520 km), Nagaland (215 km), Manipur (398 km) and Mizoram (510 km).

Talking to ETV Bharat, GM Srivastava, a renowned security expert and former director general of Assam Police said that sealing the border is not as simple as it sounds.

"It's easy to suggest but difficult to implement. There are numerous small, unmapped routes in border villages that traffickers exploit. Without raising awareness within society, controlling this menace will remain a challenge," Srivastava said.

He said that drug trafficking is an international trade, and Assam, along with the North East, is merely a market. "It is part of a larger narco-terrorism strategy aimed at destroying our youth and destabilising the economy by fueling black money. An enemy nation is behind this, and as tensions escalate, the focus on this strategy has intensified," said Srivastava.

Drug Seizure In India

All the law enforcement agencies in India including NCB, according to the government data, seized narcotics worth approximately Rs 25,330 crore in 2024, which is over 55 per cent higher compared to the Rs 16,100 crore worth of drugs seized in 2023.

According to the government data, in 2024, the quantity of ATS (Amphetamine-Type Stimulants) like Methamphetamine has more than doubled from 34 quintals in 2023 to 80 quintals in 2024. Similarly, the quantity of cocaine seized has also gone up from 292 kgs in 2023 to 1426 kgs in 2024.

The quantity of seized Mephedrone has also gone up from 688 kgs in 2023 in comparison to 3391 kgs in 2024. Likewise, the quantity of Hashish seized has gone up from 34 quintals in 2023 to 61 quintals in 2024. The quantity of pharmaceutical drugs, which are increasingly being abused as psychotropic substances, has gone up from 1.84 crore to 4.69 crore (Tablets).

India’s Fight Against Drugs - Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan

Launched by the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment on August 15, 2020, the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan is presently being implemented in all the districts of the country. It intends to reach out to the masses and spread awareness about substance use with a focus on schools, higher educational Institutions, and university campuses.

Till now, through the various activities undertaken on-ground, over 14.07 crore people have been sensitized on substance use, including over 4.90 crore youth and over 2.93 crore women.

As per government data, participation of 4.12 lakh educational institutions till date has ensured that the message of the Abhiyaan reaches children and youth of the country.

National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction

The Department of Social Justice and Empowerment is the nodal Department for drug demand reduction in the country. To tackle the issue of substance use, this Department is implementing National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (NAPDDR), a Centrally Sponsored Scheme under which several actions have been undertaken for rehabilitation and awareness of school children and minor youths including adoption of Navchetna Modules (A New Consciousness on Life Skills and Drug Education for School Children), teacher training modules. The Navchetna Module aims to increase awareness against drugs and promote education on life skills among students in schools.

Anti-Narcotics Task Force

A dedicated Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) headed by an additional director general/ inspector general level police officer has been established in each State and Union Territory to function as the National Narcotics Coordination Portal (NCORD) secretariat for the State and UTs and follow-up on compliance of decisions taken in NCORD meetings at different levels. In addition, to monitor the investigation of significant and important drug cases, including cases of narco-terrorism, a Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) with Director General, NCB as its chairman, has been set up.