{"id":33499,"date":"2024-12-10T18:56:20","date_gmt":"2024-12-10T13:26:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=33499"},"modified":"2025-02-01T17:23:23","modified_gmt":"2025-02-01T11:53:23","slug":"smuggling-in-india-report-2023-24","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/10-12-2024\/smuggling-in-india-report-2023-24","title":{"rendered":"Smuggling in India &#8211; Report 2023-24"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/Internal Security<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has released the annual <strong>\u2018Smuggling in India &#8211; Report 2023-24\u2019<\/strong> report.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Major Highlights<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Cocaine trafficking<\/strong> has seen a marked increase in India, particularly through direct routes from South America and via African countries.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The agency recorded 47 cases in 2023-24 of smuggling of cocaine through the air route, against 21 cases the previous year.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Hydroponic marijuana<\/strong> is being smuggled in from the US, Thailand and other countries.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Black Cocaine:<\/strong> An alarming trend is the emergence of \u201cblack cocaine,\u201d a new variety of drug that is difficult to detect using standard detection methods.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It is chemically masked with substances like charcoal or iron oxide, creating a black powder that can evade drug-sniffing techniques.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Illicit Gold Imports:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India has become a major destination for illicit gold imports, with gold and silver.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It predominantly originates from West Asia, including the UAE and Saudi Arabia, where these metals are sourced and available at lower prices.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Smuggling syndicates are now employing <strong>\u201cmules\u201d<\/strong> with diverse profiles, including foreign nationals and families, alongside insiders.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Porous Eastern Borders:<\/strong> Smuggling through India\u2019s porous eastern borders, particularly with Bangladesh and Myanmar, has also emerged as a major concern for law enforcement agencies\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It indicates an uptick in methamphetamine smuggling, particularly in northeastern states like Assam and Mizoram.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Free Trade Agreements (FTAs)<\/strong> are misused by traders through misclassification of imports and fake letters.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Environment and Wildlife Crime:<\/strong> The black-market demand for elephant tusks, continues to fuel illegal poaching.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Due to increasing demand in South East Asian countries, there is a potential for an increase in smuggling of star tortoise from India.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Peacocks, Pangolins and Leopards are hunted for the illegal trade.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"d6d2d1\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"620\" height=\"442\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2024\/12\/various-dimensions-of-environmental-crime.webp\" alt=\"Various Dimensions of Environmental Crime\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-33501\" style=\"--dominant-color: #d6d2d1; width:526px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2024\/12\/various-dimensions-of-environmental-crime.webp 620w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2024\/12\/various-dimensions-of-environmental-crime-300x214.webp 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Narco Trafficking Routes<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The Death Crescent (Golden)<\/strong>: It includes <strong>Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan,<\/strong> is a primary source of heroin trafficked into India.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This heroin is routed to India mainly through African and Gulf regions, in addition to traditional routes through India-Pakistan border and maritime routes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Death Triangle (Golden):<\/strong> It includes the regions of<strong> Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand, <\/strong>a significant source of synthetic drugs and heroin.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Drugs enter India through the northeastern states, where difficult terrain, and porous borders makes trafficking easier at multiple entry points.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"c2cec8\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"783\" height=\"513\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2024\/12\/The-Death-Triangle-Golden.webp\" alt=\"The Death Triangle Golden\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-33500\" style=\"--dominant-color: #c2cec8; width:519px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2024\/12\/The-Death-Triangle-Golden.webp 783w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2024\/12\/The-Death-Triangle-Golden-300x197.webp 300w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2024\/12\/The-Death-Triangle-Golden-768x503.webp 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 783px) 100vw, 783px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Maritime Routes<\/strong>: The vast coastline of India presents opportunities for drug traffickers, cases of drugs being smuggled through concealment in shipping containers and fishing vessels have been noticed.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Air Routes:<\/strong> It has become a potent method for smugglers due to the speed and increasing volume of international air traffic.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Drugs are often concealed in luggage, courier packages or ingested by carriers (known as \u201cmules\u201d).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-background\" style=\"background-color:#ebecf0\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI)<\/strong><br><br>&#8211; It is the premier intelligence and enforcement agency on anti-smuggling matters under the aegis of Central Board of Indirect Taxes &amp; Customs (CBIC).\u00a0<br>&#8211; It came into existence in <strong>1957<\/strong>.<br><br><strong>Functions:\u00a0<\/strong><br><br>1. Preventing and detecting cases of smuggling of narcotic drugs &amp; psychotropic substances.<br>2. Gold, diamonds, precious metals, wildlife products, arms, counterfeit currency notes, antiques etc.\u00a0<br>3. Taking punitive action against the organised crime groups.<br>4. It is also engaged in unearthing commercial frauds and instances of customs duty evasion.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Initiatives Taken against Illegal Drug Abuse<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Global Initiatives:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC):<\/strong> The UNODC is at the forefront of the global fight against illicit drugs. The UNODC-led campaign aims to raise awareness about the dangers of drug abuse.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>International Narcotics Control Board (INCB): <\/strong>The INCB monitors the global drug situation and assesses countries&#8217; compliance with international drug control treaties.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Paris Pact Initiative: <\/strong>This initiative focuses on combating the trafficking of Afghan opiates, which are a major source of illicit drugs globally.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Indian Initiatives:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 (NDPS Act): <\/strong>Comprehensive legislation provides the legal framework for drug control in India. It prohibits the production, possession, sale, and consumption of illicit drugs and prescribes penalties for violations.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB):<\/strong> The NCB is the nodal agency responsible for drug law enforcement in India. It coordinates with various state and central agencies to combat drug trafficking and abuse.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF): <\/strong>Many states have established ANTFs to strengthen drug law enforcement at the state level.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (NAPDDR):<\/strong> Launched by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, this plan aims to reduce the demand for illicit drugs through prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, and awareness programs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan: <\/strong>Launched in 2020, this campaign aims to create awareness about the ill effects of drug abuse and promote a drug-free India. It focuses on community outreach, education, and rehabilitation programs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/pib.gov.in\/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2079913\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>PIB<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has released the annual \u2018Smuggling in India &#8211; Report 2023-24\u2019 report.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33499","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33499","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33499"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33499\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36617,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33499\/revisions\/36617"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33499"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33499"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33499"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}