NCB DG calls for strong inter-agency coordination to combat drug trafficking in Northeast

Dimapur, Nov 13 (PTI) Director General of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Anurag Garg has termed drug trafficking and abuse as one of the country's "emerging security challenges", warning that illicit drug money is increasingly being channelled into organised crimes, including terrorism financing, arms trafficking, and money laundering.

Speaking at the inaugural session of the two-day Regional Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) Conference for Northeastern States, including Sikkim and West Bengal, in Dimapur, Garg said the issue has grave implications for public health, family well-being, and national security.

He cautioned that easy availability of drugs not only fuels addiction but also contributes to domestic violence, social instability, and growing healthcare burdens on the state.

"The youth, who should be the driving force of the economy, become a burden," he said, citing a 2019 survey by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, which found that drug consumption rates in several northeastern states are significantly higher than the national average.

Emphasising the need for "excellent coordination and collaboration" among enforcement, intelligence, and security agencies, Garg said the NCB, as the nodal national agency, is working to strengthen such cooperation through the NCORD mechanism and capacity building of state-level ANTFs.

He said that ANTFs have now been established in all states and union territories, functioning as the first line of defence against drugs at the state level.

Referring to the national ANTF conference held in New Delhi in September, inaugurated by the Union Home Minister, Garg said the Northeast requires "special attention" due to its proximity to the Golden Triangle and the porous India-Myanmar border, which facilitates the inflow of narcotics into India.

"After the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, Myanmar has become the world's largest producer of heroin and methamphetamine. These operations are run by organised crime groups, ethnic militias, and insurgent outfits involved in arms supply, extortion, and money laundering," he said.

As a result, he added, several northeastern states have become major entry points for heroin and meth trafficked into India and Bangladesh.

Thanking the Nagaland Police and the state government for co-hosting the regional meet, Garg said the conference aims to develop a roadmap for an integrated regional response.

Key agenda items include targeting drug syndicates instead of small couriers, tracing money trails, destroying illicit cultivation, ensuring real-time intelligence sharing, and expanding de-addiction facilities, he said.

He also called for greater use of technological platforms such as NATGRID, NIDAAN, and other databases for intelligence gathering, and urged for effective use of Joint Coordination Committees (JCC) and NCORD mechanisms at state and district levels.

Expressing optimism, Garg said, "This conference will help us strengthen inter-agency trust, identify forward and backward linkages, and build a unified strategy to realise the vision of a Drug-Free India by 2047." The technical sessions of the two-day conference will take up discussions on the topics "Challenges of cross-border trafficking: Bangladesh & Myanmar", Identification and destruction of illicit crop", "Drug trafficking scenario in the North East". PTI CORR NBS NBS RG