• State-of-the-art anti-drone technology is a must

Reiterating the Centre’s zero-tolerance policy on the drug menace, Home Minister Amit Shah has announced that big criminals involved in narcotic trafficking would be put behind bars in the next two years. He has admitted that profits from the drug trade are being used to finance terrorism, while expressing concern that the ‘dirty money’ thus generated is hurting the country’s economy. According to the minister, the mapping of drug routes has been done in 472 districts, even as narcotic contraband is entering the country from across the border through drones, tunnels, ports and airports. Shah’s statement in the Lok Sabha came hours after the Border Security Force (BSF) recovered around 26-kg heroin from a field in Fazilka, a border district of Punjab. Suspected Pakistani smugglers had abandoned the drug packets and escaped after the troops opened fire. On the intervening night of December 20-21, the BSF had shot down a drone near Amritsar and seized over 4 kg of narcotics.

Attempts by smugglers to push narcotics and weapons into India through drones and other means have increased during the ongoing winter season, when dense fog envelopes the region. The BSF says it has stepped up vigil near the India-Pakistan border in Punjab, but the frequent seizures don’t seem to be deterring drug traffickers. Most of the drugs smuggled into India originate from the ‘Golden Crescent’ (comprising Afghanistan and parts of Pakistan) and the ‘Golden Triangle’ (including areas of Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam and Thailand). There are reports that the illicit drug trade continues to flourish in Afghanistan under the Taliban regime, which had promised a crackdown on narcotics after it grabbed power in August last year. India has proactively used multilateral platforms this year to push for a joint fight against terror funding.

There is a need to up the ante and call out nations aiding or abetting narco terror. On the ground, the security forces should be equipped with state-of-the-art counter-drone technology to block the aerial route of drug supply. Synergy among agencies and governments holds the key to breaking the back of drug cartels.

(Tribune, India)