2-day ‘Conference on Combating Drug Trafficking’ for BIMSTEC Partner Nations concludes

Speed Post News Network

New Delhi : The two-day Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical & Economic Co-operation (BIMSTEC) ‘Conference on Combating Drug Trafficking’ concluded in New Delhi on February 14, 2020.day. It provided an important platform to the Partner Nations to share ideas and exchange best practices required to combat the drug menace in the region.

Major Opium production regions of the world, put all the BIMSTEC Partner Nations in a very precarious position. India’s position is more vulnerable as it is sandwiched between Golden Crescent and Golden Triangle. The bumper harvests of Opium in Afghanistan for the last few years have given rise to increased supply of Heroin in all the BIMSTEC Nations. Another major concern is the large number of Methamphetamine manufacturing facilities that are prevalent in some of the BIMSTEC countries. These facilities manufacture a large quantity of Methamphetamine which is further trafficked to all the BIMSTEC countries.

Another area of concern is drug trafficking through sea route that affects BIMSTEC Nations. While the Bay of Bengal facilitates trade worth billions of dollars, the drug traffickers also use this vast network to their advantage. Two recent seizures of 371 kg and 1,156 kg Methamphetamine by Indian authorities from two vessels in the Bay of Bengal are glaring examples of this facet. Further, the BIMSTEC region is one of the most thriving centres of pharmaceutical manufacture and trade. It is also in very close proximity to China, which is another leading country in the Pharma sector. This has also made the BIMSTEC region very vulnerable to the diversion and trafficking in Pharmaceutical Drugs.

The developments in technology have thrown a challenge to the drug law enforcement agencies. The use of darknet is one of the ugly facet of technological use in drug trafficking. The combination of darknet and courier /postal deliveries have made the narco/psychotropic trafficking more anonymous in nature.

The first day of the conference ( February 13, 2020) witnessed two thematic sessions. The first session was on Maritime Trafficking of drugs in the Region-Sharing of experiences by the BIMSTEC countries. The session witnessed detailed presentations by all the member Nations. The common factor among all the presentations was the increased trafficking of Heroin in the Bay of Bengal Region. The Chair and the Co-Chairs raised the concern about Methamphetamine and Ketamine trafficking through maritime routes.

The second thematic session of the day was on the Production & Trafficking of Methamphetamine in the Region. The presentations and the discussions revolved around the need for regional co-operation to tackle the problem of manufacture and trafficking of Methamphetamine in the region. Emergence of Afghanistan and Iran as major centres for plant based Methamphetamine was also shared by most members. The final day of the conference began with a technical session on Drug Trafficking and Darknet – Courier & Postal Interdictions.