While international and regional efforts are indispensable, the ultimate actors in the fight against the trafficking and abuse of illicit drugs are national governments. International and regional efforts can provide a framework of cooperation, enhance expertise, facilitate resource pooling and monitor progress, but implementation of control measures rests with national authorities. A brief view of the problem and counter-measures in place in some south Asian countries is presented below.

The problem

Heroin seizures in India amounted to 850 kilograms (worth US$ 190 million) in 2001. In 2003, it crossed 165 Kilograms till mid-August. Other seizures (in kilograms) for this period stood at cannabis -9,475, hashish-603, poppy husk-687 and about Rs. 5 crore worth of chemicals. Seizures however reflect the effectiveness of enforcement agencies than the actual traffic. Often, they constitute the tip of the iceberg. India licitly cultivates and produces between 1200 and 1500 tons of opium annually from which diversion to production of narcotics takes place. The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) Report-2002 identified New Delhi as a major transit point for drug trafficking. Heroin, cannabis, hashish, psychotropic substances like methamphetamines and codein-based cough syrups, and precursor chemicals like acetic anhydride are trafficked across India’s borders with Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, and Pakistan and through the sea lanes between India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

Sri Lanka, owing to its strategic location and the involvement of its nationals (mostly connected with the separatist movement) is also a major hub of drug trafficking. Government officials believe that trafficking from Sri Lanka to European countries became organized after 1984. Drugs from Coastal India, Southeast Asia and Pakistan reach their ports for transshipment through Colombo airport to Europe, Africa and the Americas. The Rameshwaram via Talaimannar sea route is also an arterial route. In 2002, the authorities reported 9920 offences related to drug trafficking. Cannabis cultivation on the island is large-scale.

Pakistan is a major source of opium and heroin. Poppy and cannabis cultivation continues unabated in its north-west. It is also a transit route for drugs from neighbouring Afghanistan which accounts for almost 70 percent of the world’s opium. In one of the biggest heroin hauls, Pakistani Customs officials seized 1350 kilograms of Heroin in Quetta on 6 May 2003. Bangladesh has been a transit route for drugs coming from the Golden Triangle, due to its proximity to that region and its porous border with India. UN reports reveal an increasing abuse of heroin since 1995. Phensedyl is widely abused in Bangladesh. Cannabis is widely cultivated and poppy cultivation is rife in the Chittagong Hill Tracks.

Nepal is a major transit route for heroin and hashish. Drugs trafficked through India often find their way to Nepal from where it is flown to other destinations. Large scale Cannabis cultivation is reported in rural areas. Abuse of hashish is widespread and that of heroin is spreading. Bhutan and the Maldives are less affected by drug trafficking. Bhutan is more of a destination than a transit route for drug traffickers. There is a high incidence of drug abuse in Bhutan. The Maldives is increasingly being used as a transit route, because of the laxity of its laws.

Drug Control Policies and Strategies

In India, the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act 1985 sets out the statutory framework for drug law enforcement. It consolidates the principal Acts like the Opium Act 1857, 1878 and the Dangerous Drugs Act 1930, and incorporates provisions designed to implement India’s obligations under various International Conventions. In 1989, certain amendments were made in the Act to enable the forfeiture of property derived from drug money and for control over precursor chemicals. Under the provisions of this Act, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) was constituted in 1986 to coordinate enforcement of the Act. It also functions as an enforcement agency through its field units. Besides, there are Narcotics cells in the police, customs and various other departments both at the state and central levels.

In Sri Lanka, the National Dangerous Drugs Control Board (NDDCB) is the apex coordinating agency for drug control. The Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) is the primary enforcement agency. In early 2003, the Interior Ministry constituted two committees, one to amend the existing laws and make them more effective and the other to look into problems pertaining to narcotics. The objective was to intensify and expand the coordinated action plan to combat drug trafficking and its abuse. The drug control efforts in Sri Lanka are hindered by lack of detection and infrastructural facilities.

Pakistan has a special Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) with its own courts for drug offences. Besides, the customs department and the police have narcotic cells to assist the ANF. In Bangladesh, the Department of Narcotics Control (DNC) is the apex body coordinating prevention and control of illicit drug. The police have narcotic cells which are the primary enforcement agencies. In Nepal, Bhutan and the Maldives, no Special Forces or Departments exist to fight the drug menace. However, increasing efforts are taking place to enhance expertise in the law enforcement agencies.

Many non-governmental actors in these countries are involved in combating the drug menace. The primary focus of counter narcotics efforts in the region includes surveillance, interdiction, prevention and enforcement at entry and exit routes, control measures at export points like air and sea terminals, identification and eradication of cultivation, strengthening intelligence apparatus, improving interagency cooperation in the region and increasing international cooperation.