NEW DELHI, India Attorney General Edwin Meese arrived Saturday for talks to combat narcotics smuggling in India, a major transit point for illegal drugs bound for the United States and Europe.
Meese, on a four nation Asian tour to promote cooperation with Washington’s fight against drug trafficking, terrorism and other international crimes, landed at Palam airport after fight from the Burmese capital of Rangoon.
Ina brief statement, Meese said he planned to discuss with Indian officials “the worldwide problem of drug trafficking and drug abuse.”
I look forward to discussions with Indian leaders on means to reduce this illegal commerce ‘commerce that thwart this international traffic and we are equally ‘committed to eradicating markets for the worldwide network of drug criminals by reducing the demand for these substances.”
Meese and a high level delegation also spent three days in Thailand, After leaving India Monday, the group will fly to Pakistan.
Meese was to hold discussions Sunday and Monday with senior Indian officials, including Law Minister A.K, Sen and Finance Minister VP. Singh.
He also was expected to meet Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
In addition to battling a rise in domestic drug abuse, officials say India has become a major transit point for heroin and hashish shipments bound for the West from Afghanistan and Pakistan,
Police have seized more heroins this year in India than in all of 1985, In January, officers raided a farmhouse near Bombay said to be the center of the country’s illegal drug trade and found more than 1,200 pounds of heroin.
Officials believe Tamil rebels battling for an independent state in the northern and eastern regions of the Indian Ocean island nation of Sri Lanka have turned to drug smuggling to finance the purchase of weapons.
Article extracted from this publication >> March 28, 1986
