NEW DELHI (PTI): Recent spurt in seizures of narcotics and psychotropic substances and a sharp rise in drug abuse in the country show that Indian is fast becoming a key conduit for global drug traffic.
For the drug mafias, India with its long coastline and vast desert and forest terrain is a natural stopover sandwiched, as it is between Myanmar of “golden triangle” in the east and Pakistan and Afghanistan of the “golden crescent” in the North West frontier.
During the last six months alone, 270 kegs of heroin estimated at Rs 270 crore in international market, 1320 kg of opium, $1 ampules of morphines, 39875 kegs of cannabis, 6418 kgs of Hashish were seized, acconting to figures available with the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB).
Psychotropic substances, including 5036 tablets of methaqualone, two tons of amphetamine tablets, 154 and 15351 liters of acetic anhydride were also netted from drug traffickers during the period.
Consequently, drug abuse. has also been on the rise specially in the sensitive border areas in the northeast and the west and other transit points like big cities, say reports.
Accordingly to United Nations narcotics control! strategy report of February 1993, there are about one million heroin addicts and four million opium and Bhang addicts in India.
Article extracted from this publication >> September 10, 1993
