NEW TRENDS IN DRUG SMUGGLING

New Trends in Drug Smuggling...

Background;

The history of international drug trade in the world goes back to about 2000 years ago when the Great Silk Route came into existence under the Han dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD). Since Silk was the primary merchandise, this route came to be known as the Silk Route. Opium, precious stones and condiments etc also formed part of the trade on this route which went on to parts of China, parts of present Afghanistan, India, Persians, Arabs, Syrians, Greeks and Romans etc.

Part of this route is still in existence. It starts from the Golden Crescent and the Golden Triangle. The former primarily commences from parts of Afghanistan onto India, Iran, Turkey, countries of erstwhile USSR and further on to Europe and the United States. The other route starts from the notorious Golden Triangle and as far as India is concerned, it passes through some states in the North East and Bengal and goes on to parts on India as also countries abroad.

India, on Drug Map;

India is not only fast becoming a major drug market but one of the major international drug routes also. Not only drugs produced in the Crescent and Triangle are passing through but even ingenuously produced high quality Cannabinoids, particularly Mallana, as also ‘Made in India Synthetics’ are getting immensely popular abroad because of their purity and high grade potency. Contacts in some prominent international anti drug agencies have revealed that they are keeping a close eye on the drug trade passing and exported from India and the matter has been taken up with the Indian government / anti drug agencies. India has also started figuring prominently in the reports of the U.N. agencies.

The New Silk Route;

The name ‘Silk Route’ as such, retained its historical value only till 2013 when it came to light that another silk route was in existence for some time. It was more notorious and deadly than the historic route. One Ross William Ulbricht an American drug trafficker and darknet market operator was arrested in 2013. A darknet market or cryptomarket is a commercial website on the web that operates via darknets such as ‘Tor’ or 12 P (‘Tor’ is an acronym that stands for ‘the onion route’—free computer software that enables users to communicate anonymously using different layers of networks; hence, the analogy of an onion). They function primarily as black markets supplying drugs to selling illegal arms and ammunition, forging documents, opening secret bank accounts, providing services for money laundering, offering techniques for hacking into secure computer systems and networks, providing tools for phishing or illegal siphoning of money by pretending to be genuine customers of banks and financial institutions, spamming or sending unwanted electronic mail, anonymous mail drops, online financial scams and so on. Ulbricht, who went by the moniker ‘Dread Pirate Roberts’, was the elusive creator and proprietor of massive illegal online market named ‘Silk Road’ .Ulbricht was arrested in 2013 for creating the ‘largest and most sophisticated criminal enterprise on the ‘worldwide web’ which had generated business worth $214 million by selling a wide variety of contraband material and offering a range of illegal services, within a span of about two years, 2011 - 2013. Even after his arrest several other DNMs (Dragnet Markets) are still operating internationally. They include variety of names like Agora, Evolution, Pandora, Blue Sky, Hydra, Cloud 9, Andromeda, Outlaw, Pirate, Black Bank, Tor Bazaar, Cannabis Garden and Alpaca. Together, these sites are said to have concluded several thousands of illegal and illicit deals and are still operative under one name or the other.

Indian DNM (Dark Net Market) operation;

 Indian ‘scamsters and operators’ are, unfortunately second to none, if not the very best. India as well the Darknet markets are booming and operating selling variety of items enumerated in preceding paragraph. Drugs, however, remain the most important of them. One often hears weird names like Hari P…., Madly Fo….., Dream M…., Va…., Al… B…, Ha…. etc. All types of drugs including high quality cannabinoids, Mallana, psychedelics, opioids, dissociatives, ecstacy, steroids, cannabis, benzos, barbiturates and prescription drugs. These Indian drug vendors also sell a wide range of prescription drugs like Benzodiazepines (antidepressants) like Xanax, Barbiturates (central nervous system depressants), pain killers like Tramadol and erectile dysfunction medicines like Tadalafil which are misused by drug addicts. Drug peddlers and addicts having basic knowledge of computer, can easily buy drugs from dark net.

Even ‘clean and uncut’ Bolivian cocaine along with review of quality of the cocaine with a picture of it is also being sold. The vendors also provide escrow services where one can track the consignment. DNMs are like any other e-commerce portals where payment generally has to be made in hard currency and even Bitcoins, when transaction is of higher denominations and at an international level. Within the country and for ‘retail transactions’, Indian currency is accepted. 

Though online purchase of drugs is relatively a comparative new phenomenon in India, but it has picked up fast. Indian drug peddlers are said to be even using Indian Postal services for delivering the drugs. Several vendors are also using normal courier services as also delivering through their personal courier networks. Secrecy and direct contact between the vendor and agent / end user is the reason why it has not been coming to the lime light.

Scenario in Punjab;

1-      In short the narration above is said to be true of Punjab as well where, unfortunately on the one hand drug usage is said to be high and on the other whatever small sized surveys have been undertaken, have been marred by political controversies. One political party swears by them and some other ridicule. However it remains a fact that not much attention has been paid towards this issue. I have grave doubts if the orders of the Punjab and Haryana High Court in CWP 20359 OF 2013 have been implemented in the right earnest. I, Shashi Kant was the petitioner in this case whose letter petition was suo moto accepted by the then Hon’ble Chief Justice Mr. Sanjay Kishan Kaul way back in 2013.

2-      It is a pity that the drug issue of Punjab gets highlighted only around elections and gets the back seat a few months later and situation remains more or less the same there after. As on date hardly anyone is talking about drugs and I am sure that it will come up again only during the next general elections.

3-      This serious issue has only been politicised by some with no intent to solve it. I have been raising this issue relentlessly for last about ten year, but have failed to obtain the support of any political party / political leaders who matter and even public in general. I feel that unfortunately there is no intent on their part and gullible individuals will continue to succumb to drugs.

4-      The only response that I have got has been in the form of attempts on my life, attempts to kidnap me and threats to me and my family. I am thankful to the Hon’ble Punjab and Haryana High Court for having provided me security but attempts to intimidate even within the premises of the High Court continued asking me not to peruse or attend the case proceedings. Though I have been informing concerned authorities but as a last resort, I have prepared a detailed report about the individuals and groups who have been indulging in these nefarious activities of threatening me and my family as also mentally and psychologically harassing me and have handed it over to my lawyers in Chandigarh with the request that it be opened only after my death which appears imminent sooner or later because I intend continuing my antidrug tirade, which had become somewhat slow since my mother sad demise. I have since coped up with that immense loss and am going to go ahead full steam once again.

I, however, wish to clearly state that the mental and psychological harassment, besides the real threat to our lives, by such anti national and anti social elements, has reached immense and intolerable magnitude.  This often leads me to wonder that if this could happen to me, who has been lucky to have had the media support with him, what could have happened to a common citizen of this country.

5-      I would like to clearly state that I have approached almost the entire senior leadership of the state as also the country,  but of no avail. It is sad indeed. It just exposes their hollow claims. 

6-      Regarding the STF, it started off very well but lost steam over a period of time, particularly after the arrest of a police official, who had earlier remained posted in border area. Startling disclosures were expected from him, which somehow appear to have failed to see the light of the day.

7-      As far as the drug trade in Punjab is concerned, my information indicates that though the smuggling ring remains intact, but the dons are lying low because of the reasons to which I am not privy. Drug smuggling from across the international border falling in Punjab has gone down. Availability of opiates has also gone down leading to opening of other channels of smuggling. As far as the Golden Crescent is concerned, opiates are primarily coming in from the J&K. Major routed remain from across Muzzafarabad – Uri sector and Poonch sector of J&K across Rawalkot. Army and other security forces have not been able to curtain heroin smuggling because their major concentration is on anti terror activities. It may be mentioned that the condition of drug affliction in J&K is no better than that of Punjab. As against earlier trend of drug smuggling from Punjab into J&K, now the situation has reversed.

Production of synthetics in the state appears to have gone down but their production appears to be continuing in states bordering Punjab. Some medicine producing hubs in the country are said to have gone in to massive production of synthetics, thanks to the failure of the anti drug agencies in the country and the loop holes in the drug policy of Government of India. There appears to be no coordination whatsoever among them.

Drugs continue coming in from across Himachal and also from Nepal. Reports exist about clandestine manufacture of grade three heroin in parts of Saharanpur and some districts of Haryana bordering Punjab.

8-      Not much improvement in the open availability of pharmaceutical drugs and poppy husk. In fact with the increase in the prices of heroin, dependence on pharmaceutical drugs has increase considerably.

9-      Another disturbing trend is the smuggling of heroin from across the Golden Triangle. Smaller quantities of opiates are being brought in by truck drivers both for consumption and sale.

10-  In short the ‘opiate epidemic’, as recently voiced by Donald Trump, remains intact in India, with marginal improvement in Punjab, with all concerned parties sleeping away to glory.