Friday, 17 May, 2024
By: Yash Gupte
Drug abusers have a high demand for the synthetic chemical-based hallucinogen known as LSD, also known as lysergic acid diethylamide. Image Source: IANS
The NCB dismantled a drug trafficking network that had operations in the Netherlands, Poland, the United States, and several Indian states, including Delhi, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh.
The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) confiscated 15,000 LSD drug blots in the largest drug bust in the past two decades and detained six suspects who were reportedly connected to a pan-Indian drug trafficking network. They were using the dark web and cryptocurrencies to do their business. Drug abusers have a high demand for the synthetic chemical-based hallucinogen known as LSD, also known as lysergic acid diethylamide.
Gyaneshwar Singh, the NCB's deputy director general at a press briefing in the national capital on Tuesday said, “We’ve arrested six persons in two cases and seized 15,000 blots of LSD drug… The commercial quantity of this drug is 0.1 gram. It’s a synthetic drug and is very dangerous. This is the biggest seizure in the last two decades. This network used the 'dark net' in their dealings. This network operated virtually and the payments were made via cryptocurrency and crypto wallets. The buyer and the seller did not have any physical contact.” According to the NCB official, the 15,000 LSD blots that the authorities have found are 2,500 times more than the commercial quantity.
The NCB dismantled a drug trafficking network that had operations in the Netherlands, Poland, the United States, and several Indian states, including Delhi, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh. Additionally, 2.5 kilogram of imported marijuana and Rs 2.4 million (about $29,000) in cash had been seized by NCB officials. According to the NCB Deputy DG, LSD is highly popular among young people, and those who were discovered in the network are educated and youthful.
“Each half is called an LSD blot. The drug users swallow one blot. About 4-5 blots make for one commercial quantity and are trafficked. Because of its size, LSD blot is easier to smuggle such blots. You can hide it in a book or carry it easily,” Gyaneshwar Singh added.
In recent years, there has been an exponential rise in the drug seizures in India. The reason behind this can be attributed to the rise in smuggling activities. The chart below shows the number of cases registered in last five years under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic substances (NDPS) act and the drugs in possession for trafficking.
Source: National Crime Records Bureau
The number of cases under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) act has been rapidly increasing over the years. In the year 2017, 63,800 cases were registered under the act which increased to 72, 721 in 2019. 2020 was the only year which witnessed a dip in cases due to the covid-19 pandemic. 59,806 cases were registered in 2020 but in the next year, the number of cases under the NDPS act jumped to 78,331. The Narcotic Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS Act) of 1985 was enacted to combat drug misuse by prohibiting the use, distribution, manufacturing, and trade of drugs. The instances of possession of drugs for the purpose of trafficking were reported at 22,744 in 2017. This number increased by around ten thousand to 32,302 in the year 2021.
The Directive Principles of Article 47 of the Indian Constitution, which direct the State to work towards the prohibition of the consumption of intoxicating drugs harmful to health other than for medicinal purposes, serve as the foundation for the National Policy on Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances. The international conventions on the topic also serve as a reference for the government's policy, which is derived from this constitutional provision.
Recently, the NCB along with the Indian Navy seized 2,500 kg “high-purity methamphetamine”, estimated to be worth Rs 12,000 crore in the illegal drugs market, from Indian waters and detained a suspected Pakistani national. The "Death Crescent," which consists of Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan, was the source of the methamphetamine that authorities recovered, according to the NCB. According to the agency, this was the first time an Indian agency had stopped a "mother ship" carrying drugs.
According to the NCB, the Navy's intelligence branch received information about the seizure regarding the movement of a "mother ship" transporting significant amounts of methamphetamine from Pakistan's Makran coast in Balochistan. These mother ships typically transport significant amounts of illegal narcotics and distribute them to vessels along the route. A Pakistani person, the boat that was seized, as well as some other items that were recovered from the ship, were brought to Mattancherry Wharf in Kochi, Kerala, and turned over by the Navy to the Narcotics Control Bureau. The whole operation was codenamed as ‘Operation Samudragupt.”
The Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, houses the central law enforcement and intelligence organisation known as the Narcotics Control Bureau. In accordance with the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, the agency is entrusted with combatting drug trafficking and the use of illegal substances. It was established in 1986, and its duties include coordinating with the Indian state governments and other central departments, carrying out India's commitments under international drug trafficking treaties, and supporting foreign and international drug law enforcement organisations.
The lowest numbers of cases were registered in 2018. This tells that the covid-19 pandemic didn’t affect the possession of drugs for trafficking in a serious manner. The rising number of cases under the NDPS act and the cases of drugs trafficking is a major concern for the nation. The most prone category of people to the drugs is ‘youth’ as they are an easy target for the peddlers. Though various government agencies are working effectively to counter the drugs smuggling and trafficking, more needs to be done in this regard.
