Nepal–Sri Lanka drug smuggling route via India under scanner
Indian agencies have flagged the revival of a Nepal–India–Sri Lanka drug smuggling route, with narcotics such as hashish oil and charas moving through South India. A multi-state NCB operation seized drugs worth Rs 10 crore while investigations continue
New Delhi: The Nepal to Sri Lanka route via India to smuggle drugs has come under the scanner of the agencies. The route which had gone relatively quiet has once again become active and is being used to smuggle Hashish oil and Charas.
The multi-state operation that was launched by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) units of Chennai and Hyderabad Zonal units had led to the seizure of Hashish oil and Charas to the tune of Rs 10 crore.
The operation was carried out as part of the Modi government’s initiative, ‘Nasha Mukth Bharat.’
An official said that there is a very high demand for Hashish in Sri Lanka apart from Charas. Sri Lanka has been flagging the rise in the number of cases relating to drug abuse in the country.
There has been a huge demand for drugs and hence these narcotic cartels have increased supply into the country.
Further Sri Lanka’s location in the Indian Ocean has made it a strategic waypoint to smuggle drugs. An official said that drugs into Sri Lanka are not just being brought from Nepal. Narcotics which originate from Afghanistan’s Golden Crescent are being transported through Pakistan and also Iran.
The official added that these smugglers have made South India a transit point for these drugs. All the drugs that are smuggled either reach Thoothukudi or Koddikarai.
There is a dedicated network of people who meet their Sri Lankan counterparts midway where the consignment is transferred.
An official said that these landing points are not new and have been in operation for long. Earlier, drugs such as opium would land in these ports and the smugglers from Sri Lanka would pick up the same in exchange for beedis.
Officials in the NCB have identified Trincomalee, Halle and Colombo are the entry as well exit points.
Officials say that the trade value has gone up multi-fold. There was a time when two cases would be busted in a span of two to three months. Today the volume is so high that just in the year 2024, Sri Lanka reported 35,000 drug busts.
Another official said that drugs being smuggled into Sri Lanka are not restricted to Marijuana, Hashish or Charas. Since 2019, Sri Lanka has seen a massive demand for methamphetamine.
Once the drugs land in Sri Lanka, the smugglers collaborate with some locals, who include criminals, fishermen and organised groups.
These persons packs the narcotics before distributing to other parts of the country. Intelligence Bureau officials say that the Nepal to Sri Lanka route is being used a lot in recent months.
This is owing to high security along the borders with Pakistan at Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab.
The route is not new and has been used for long. However the worry is that this route is being used more extensively today.
The Indian agencies are coordinating closely with their counterparts both in Nepal and Sri Lanka to curb the menace of narcotics smuggling.
The Indian Coast Guard, too, is playing a key role in intercepting fishing trawlers, which set out from South India once the drugs land.
Another official said that the racket from Nepal is being controlled by a Sri Lankan national. He coordinates with operatives in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nepal and then arranges for it to be brought into South India.
He also has managed to set up a network in Tamil Nadu to ensure that the drugs are moved into Sri Lankan waters seamlessly.
It is an ongoing operation and the agencies are identifying all possible loopholes that these smugglers are using to further their trade, the official also said.
