A joint operation by Bharat and Sri Lanka has led to the seizure of narcotics worth Rs 500 crore. The Indian Navy said that based on information that it got from the Sri Lankan Navy it intercepted fishing vessels and boats that were carrying 500 kilograms of Crystal Meth. Two boats were identified on the basis of the inputs from the Sri Lankan Navy. The operation was carried out with extensive surveillance which was undertaken by Indian Navy aerial assets. The two boats along with the crew and the seized narcotics are being handed over to Sri Lanka, the Indian Navy said in a post on X.
Narcotics Seizure – Combined Operation b/n #IndianNavy & @srilanka_navy.
Based on information received from #SrilankaNavy regarding probable narcotics smuggling by Sri Lankan flagged fishing vessels, the @indiannavy swiftly responded through a coordinated operation to localise &… pic.twitter.com/dkpzNQonTF
— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) November 29, 2024
This is an important development as the drug menace seems to be on the rise in various parts of the country. Bharat has launched several operations and with the cooperation of countries such as Sri Lanka has intercepted many such vessels which have tried to smuggle drugs into Bharat.
Maritime security
Both Bharat and Sri Lanka have identified the challenges that is being posed by the narcotic cartels. The drugs are smuggled from Pakistan into Sri Lanka before it makes its way into the Indian waters.
This had led to the two nations concluding an agreement to increase bilateral cooperation along a range of security issues with the primary focus being on drug and human trafficking.
During a meeting that was held in 2019, Sri Lanka had requested India to increase the number of Sri Lankan security personnel that was it was training. Bharat agreed to the request and said that it would examine the possibility of enhancing training facilities.
Prior to this, both countries had agreed on cooperation on exchange of information and other aspects to tackle drug smuggling. “The narcotics bureaus of both countries recognise the challenging drug situation in their regions and identified useful areas for future cooperation, including in the field of information exchange, control delivery operations, and training,” a statement by the Union Home Ministry said.
“Important cases, gangs and traffickers detected or arrested, use of sea route to smuggle drugs and sharing of best practices and training needs were also a part of the discussions,” the statement also read.
Since these agreements, both countries have been robust in sharing of information and this has led to a great amount of success.
Newer routes
While drug smuggling on the Indian waters has always been a problem, the consignments were smaller in nature. With Bharat tightening security at its border with Pakistan, the drug trade from that country saw a considerable dip.
However, Pakistan worked its way to find newer avenues to ensure that drugs are supplied without any glitches. It decided to operate through its consulate in Colombo.
For this Pakistan appointed one Amir Zubair Siddiqui to oversee the operations. With the comfort of diplomatic immunity, Siddiqui was instrumental in ensuring that the drug cartels were able to function easily and without being detected. His brief was however not limited to drug trade alone. Along with this he also oversaw the setting up of terror modules with the sole intention of making South India a gateway for ISI sponsored terror.
These details came out following the arrest of one Zaheed Hussain, a resident of Sandy, Sri Lanka. He was arrested in 2014, just week before twin explosions rocked a train at the Chennai Central railway station on May 1 that year. He said during his questioning that he was sent to Chennai to set up terror modules and also recruit Muslim youth to carry out terror related activities.
In the meantime, Siddiqui identified one person in Malaysia to oversee the operations. The idea was to ensure that the drug trade went on smoothly and Pakistan based drug lords could send the narcotics directly to Sri Lanka before it could make its way into South India.
Tamil Nadu’s complicity
The job of the ISI was made easier courtesy a very complicit administration in Tamil Nadu. The extent of the problem came to light following the arrest of Khader Mohideen and Ibrahim Saha, two international drug smugglers. The duo who originally hail from Chennai were nabbed in Hyderabad in the year 2022.
This led to a series of revelations and how people within the system were part of this menace. In November 2022 a DMK councillor and a former councillor were arrested for attempting to smuggle narcotics. Jainuddin and Sarbaz Khan had tried to smuggle cocaine worth Rs 360 crore.
While some within the system were found to be complicit the bigger issue is that the state has let the Tamil refugees remain unchecked. In 2006, 18,600 Tamil refugees arrived in Rameshwaram. While they were sent to special camps it turned out many of them were drug couriers. While staying at these camps, the drug couriers went about their business and were not detected for long.
The central agencies which oversee the operations relating to this racket have often said that due to lack of local support the task becomes harder. It is the local police which has its eyes and ears to the ground and if they do not tip off the central agencies or refuse to cooperate, the job becomes even more harder.
An old route with new players
Smuggling between Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu is not a new phenomenon. It dates back to over 80 years back. However, at that time, it was opium that the Sri Lankan smugglers would bring into Tamil Nadu. They would in turn take beedis back to Sri Lanka. The landing point in Tamil Nadu was the Kodikkarai fishing port.
The landing point remains the same, but the players have not just changed but become larger.
In 2022, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) following a raid found that this route was not just used to smuggle narcotics. A raid had been conducted at a special camp in Trichy which lodged foreigners with criminal records. There are over 100 persons from Sri Lanka, Russia, United Kingdom, Bangladesh and Kenya who are housed in these camps.
It was found that may from this camp were part of the syndicates. They would smuggle not just narcotics, but arms and ammunition and gold as well. It was also revealed that there is a huge demand for the Star Tortoise. The tortoise is in huge demand in East and Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand, Hong Kong and Malaysia. It is smuggled into Tamil Nadu first from Sri Lanka before it makes its way to other countries. Data available for the years 2021 and 2022 reveals that the agencies had seized 5,000 Star Tortoises, while in Sri Lanka the number was at 5,487 for the same period.
