Greater Noida (Defence Desk), December 03: Recently the Indian Navy and the Sri Lanka navy together executed an operation in the Indian Ocean region where some boats were intercepted leading to a recovery of 500 kilograms of methamphetamine.
Previously, Indian Naval frigate INS Talwar had apprehended a suspicious dhow in April this year and recovered 940 kgs of narcotics in the Western Arabian Sea under the ambit of the Bahrain-based Combined Maritime Forces. The frigate was part of the Combined Task Force (CTF) 150 led focussed operation Crimson Barracuda.
In March the Indian Coast Guard in a joint operation with DRI seized 99 Kg of Hashish and the same month Indian Coast Guard and ATS Gujarat & NCB apprehended a Pakistani Boat and seized 80 Kg of Narcotics.
Such operations and seizures do not only mean a strict crackdown against the narcotics trade across world, specially in the Indian Ocean Region, but also symbolize combined resolve of the navies of countries in this region to address regional maritime challenges, and ensure safety & security.
This also reflects upon the significant role of the Indian Navy and other water guarding forces when it comes to narcotics smuggling that has witnessed a rising trend in the Indian Ocean Region.
But why is the Indian Ocean region vulnerable to drug trade?
The Indian Ocean region is involved in the illegal narcotics trade in several ways. To start with, if we talk about the heroin coming in from Afghanistan that enters East Africa through the Swahili Coast, which is on the Indian Ocean. Dhows, traditional trading ships from Arab and South Asian countries, are often used to transport opiates to East Africa. Dhows used for smuggling have been found carrying up to 1,000 kg of heroin in past crackdowns and seizures.
Further, reports on drug usage from across the globe establish that drug use and injecting has increased in countries like Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, and Mauritius.
Not just this but it has also been noticed that the East African countries are used as trans-shipment ports for routes that continue to other destinations, such as Europe.
Moreover such prominence of drug trades also increases vulnerability to organised crime. Many countries in East Africa have fallen victim to this along with exploitation due to high poverty levels, poor governance, security challenges, and ongoing conflicts.
But major reasons for the narcotics movement rising constantly in the Indian Ocean Region is because this area has two of the main producers of heroin for the global market are the Golden Triangle (Myanmar, Thailand, and Laos) and the Golden Crescent (Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran).
Over time, Afghanistan and Pakistan have emerged as two of the largest producers and exporters of heroin and opium via the West Indian Ocean (WIO).
But at the same time lenient punishments and the stand of the major governments in this region like that of the India, have also encouraged such trends. As an example, for commercial quantities of drugs, the punishment in India is rigorous imprisonment for a minimum of 10 years and a maximum of 20 years, along with a fine of a minimum of ₹1 lakh and a maximum of ₹2 lakh. This also enables the traffickers and smugglers to take the risk and in most of the cases it has been found that carriers were used while the real culprits were safe.
In context of India, the Indian Navy also tackles crimes on the high seas where traffickers frequently take advantage of jurisdictional loopholes.
But the Government of India has maintained that through diplomatic channels it regularly takes up matters related to cross-border narcotics smuggling from Pakistan over land and over sea.
Government of India also claims to have has taken several measures like strengthening of border security, construction of fences, provision of flood lighting, roads, Border Out Posts and deployment of technological solutions to counter the issue of drug trafficking.
According to it, the country actively takes part in all official sessions and meetings of UNODC and its Secretariat bodies such as Commission of Narcotics Drugs (CND).
Other than this, the Indian Navy’s adoption of unmanned systems demonstrate its technical progress. The Neerakshi Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV), intended for underwater surveys and mine detection, makes it an essential component of Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions which are a terror amongst the narco traders and smugglers in this region.
Even as India is the biggest player when it comes to the Indian Ocean Region but there have also been collaborative efforts from other countries.
These efforts include Southern Route Partnership (SRP), which is a regional organization that aims to combat the smuggling of Afghan opiates through Pakistan, Iran, the Indian Ocean, and East Africa. The SRP was established through the UNODC’s Global Maritime Crime Programme within the Indian Ocean (GMCP IO).
Another initiative is Operation Ocean Shield which is an anti-piracy initiative in the Indian Ocean, Guardafui Channel, Gulf of Aden, and Arabian Sea. It was NATO’s contribution to Operation Enduring Freedom – Horn of Africa (OEF-HOA).
However, be it collaborative of India alone playing at the front foot of the maritime security combating narcotics trade and drugs smuggling in the Indian Ocean Region, what remains of utmost priority given the rising trends is to curb the supply and control the demand. It is only then that an overall control will be achieved over such a lethal poison from spreading to not just ours but other regions of the globe.
