Narco-terrorism: Trends and concerns for Bharat

During his recent visit to Chattisgarh, Union Home Minister Amit Shah claimed that the illegal trade in narcotics is a threat to the nation. He further stressed that the money generated from the trade in narcotics is further used to promote terrorism and naxalism in the country and also to weaken the economy of the country. He strongly advocated the destruction of the entire network of this illegal narco-cartel not only in Bharat but also in the world.

The actions of the central government also speaks a lot about their conviction to curb narco-terrorism from the country. NCB has been very good in the last 10 years, from 2004 to 2014 a total of 1250 cases were registered, while in the 10 years from 2014 to 2024 4150 cases were registered, which is an increase of 230%. Between 2004 and 2014 a total of 1360 arrests were made, which has now gone up to 6300. Similarly, between 2004 and 2014 1 lakh 52 thousand kg of drugs were seized, while between 2014 and 2024 5 lakh 43 thousand kg of drugs were seized, which is an increase of 257%. The value of drugs seized between 2004 and 2014 was Rs 5.9 billion, while the value of drugs seized between 2014 and 2024 is Rs 22 billion.

Much has been achieved in the past decade, but to completely eradicate the drug cartel network, it is still necessary to combat narco-terrorism in an organized manner.

What is narcoterrorism?

The term narcoterrorism first entered the security lexicon in the 1980s, referring to the use of terror tactics by drug trafficking syndicates in Latin America. Today, the term narcoterrorism describes the use of drug trafficking networks—routes, financing mechanisms, and revenue—by terrorist organizations.

The term was coined in 1983 by then-President of Peru, Fernando Belaunde, to describe the violent actions carried out by organized criminal gangs in Latin America against law enforcement agencies fighting drug cartels in the region.

For narco-trafficking, involvement in drug trafficking provides terrorist organizations with lucrative sources of funding, with drug trafficking syndicates and terrorist organizations using each other’s resources and networks to facilitate their operations. This drug cartel syndicate transcends national borders through a complex but interconnected web of criminal networks and terrorist activities.

The lucrative nature of narcotrafficking can be understood by the fact that it is a multi-billion dollar business. To put it in substantial terms, the revenue generated by narcobusiness constitutes one-fifth of the revenue of organized crime, with the annual global value of narcotrafficking estimated at around $650 billion. The investment in drug trafficking is low and the profits are high. Narcotrafficking provides terrorist groups with an adequate and sustainable alternative means of financing.

The use of sophisticated tactics such as cross-border drone flights by drug trafficking organisations on the Bharat-Pakistan border, the emergence of maritime routes for narcotics smuggling and the rise of narco-terrorism in the Kashmir Valley highlight the persistence of this challenge.

Narcoterrorism: Global Traffic Routes

Al-Shabaab, affiliated with Al-Qaeda, has levied taxes on the trade and export of khat, a commonly used narcotic plant in the East African region. In 2010, Al-Shabaab raised US$5 million in taxes on khat. In West Africa, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb has used narcotics financing by smuggling drugs into the Sahel region.

In Southeast Asia, al Qaeda and its allies such as Jemaah Islamiyah are suspected of having profited from the region’s thriving drug trafficking hub, the “Golden Triangle” (Myanmar, Lao and Thailand, where the Ruak and Mekong rivers meet).

Al Qaeda and the Haqqani Network also benefited from the “Golden Crescent,” South Asia’s drug trafficking hub (which spans Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran).

The efficient nature of these networks and the involvement of ideologically motivated members highlight the complex dynamics of narco-terrorism.

Bharat and Narco-Terrorism: A Cocktail of Financial Gain and Violence

The purpose of narco-terrorism in the rest of the world is to make profit, but in the case of Bharat the phenomenon is more complex. Bharat’s experience suggests that there is a symbiotic relationship between terrorist organizations and the narco-trafficking syndicates. This is evident from the fact that the drug trafficking syndicates also take the same route that is often used for the terrorist movements.

NS Jamwal in ‘Management of land borders’ mentioned that during the peak of Khalistan movement in Punjab, extremists in Punjab formed an “unholy alliance” with drug traffickers. They used to procure weapons from Pakistan with the help of drug traffickers. The traffickers who were arrested by the security forces confessed in many cases that the security forces on the other side allowed them to cross the border on condition that they would supply weapons to the terrorist organisations in India. Even after terrorism in Punjab was arrested by the security forces, the practice of using drug traffickers to supply weapons and money to terrorist organisations continues.

Dr Pushpita Das, Associate Fellow at IDSA, said in a report titled “Drug trafficking in India: A Case for Border Security” that in the 1980s, the Lahore-Fazilka-Bhatinda-Delhi route emerged as the most favoured route for moving drugs into India, followed by the Attari-Wagah route. It is alleged that the Samjhauta Express has often been used to transport illicit drugs from across the border.

While the connection between Khalistan and drug trafficking via Pakistan goes back more than four decades, there has been an increase in such cases in recent times.

532 kg of heroin was seized from Attari border, Amritsar in June 2019. It was being transported through a trafficking route, concealed in hundreds of bags of rock salt. The main suspect, Ranjeet Singh Rana, was arrested in Haryana in May 2020. His location was revealed during the interrogation of Bikram Singh and Maninder Singh, who were accomplices of Hilal Ahmed Wagay, a close associate of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Riyaz Naikoo. When Bikram was arrested, he was on his way to transport Rs 29 lakh worth of drug money to Wagay.

In July 2019, ANI published a report titled “Pak-based Khalistani Terrorists smuggling drugs to fuel militancy in Punjab” which stated that Pakistan-based Khalistani terrorists were smuggling drugs into India to fuel terror activities in Punjab. The report listed three cases linked to Paramjit Singh Panjwar, chief of Khalistan Commando Force, a terrorist organisation based in Lahore since 1994. In May 2019, six Pakistani fishermen were arrested for smuggling 218 kg of narcotics on the Gujarat border. On May 26, Maldivian police intercepted an Iranian boat carrying a Pakistani national and seized a large quantity of drugs that were to be supplied to India. On July 10, the Sri Lanka Coast Guard, based on inputs from Indian intelligence, seized 50 kg of heroin from a Pakistani boat.

According to a report published in The Hindu titled “Harmeet’s murder in Pakistan linked to drug money fight” in February 2020, it was stated that Khalistan Liberation Force leader Harmeet Singh “PHD” was murdered in Pakistan due to a rivalry between two groups seeking control over drug money. Singh was wanted by Indian security forces in 17 cases. The Hindu quoted an unnamed source as stating that the recent surge in drug trafficking has resulted in generating huge money for the syndicates who use it to push weapons for terrorist activities in India.

In July 2020, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) designated nine individuals associated with the Khalistani movement as terrorists. Of the ten individuals, Lakhbir Singh Rode and Paramjit Singh Panjwar were designated as terrorists for their involvement in drug trafficking and anti-India activities.

However, Pakistan is not the only country that is conspiring against Bharat. It also has the hand of China in its nefarious plan against Bharat to push the narco-terrorist activities against Bharat. According to the reports, drugs worth Rs 2.5 billion were seized by the Sri Lankan authorities which were said to have originated from the Chinese controlled Gwadar port. Sri Lankan authorities arrested four people from Marawila Thoduwawa area on December 6, 2020 and seized the drugs which were originated from the Chinese controlled Gwadar port. They were transporting heroin and crystal methamphetamine (ice) to the Sri Lankan boats of Pak Dhow which originated from Gwadar.

The Zee News report also claimed that “the involvement of ISI officials in the drug smuggling network has been established as regular movement of Dhow from Gwadar is not possible without tacit support from the ISI and Chinese intelligence officials”.

Bharat has been battling the scourge of drug trafficking for the past three decades. The country’s proximity to two of the world’s largest illicit opium growing areas (Golden Triangle and Golden Crescent) and several external and internal factors have contributed to Bharat becoming both a transit and destination point for narco-terrorism.

But Bharat is firmly leading the fight against the narco mafias by promising to make Bharat ‘Drug Free’ by adopting a zero tolerance policy against narcotics. In this fight against narco terrorism, various stakeholders ranging from the governance circles to the civil society need to actively participate in this fight.