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Narcoterrorism challenge to India’s national security

Sep 25, 2024 12:13 PM IST

This paper is authored by Ayjaz Wani and Sameer Patil, ORF.

Narcoterrorism—or the trafficking of illicit drugs by terrorist and insurgent groups—has long threatened India’s national security. Security agencies are attempting to address this challenge, which involves various groups like Khalistani terrorist organisations, Kashmir’s separatist militants, and insurgent groups in the northeast; their efforts have achieved mixed results. This brief examines recent trends in drug trafficking and narcoterrorism and their impact on India’s national security, and explores the countermeasures employed by the country’s security agencies. The authors used existing literature, analysed government policies, and drew insights from interactions with law enforcement officials and the legal fraternity. The brief focuses on narcoterrorism in the Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) regions, and outlines recommendations for arresting the narcoterrorism phenomenon.

Narcoterrorism (HT Photo)

In the 1980s, when it first entered the security lexicon, narcoterrorism referred to the use of terror tactics by drug trafficking syndicates in Latin America. Today, narcoterrorism describes the use of drug trafficking networks—routes, funding mechanisms, and incomes—by terrorist organisations. The use of advanced tactics like cross-border drone sorties by drug trafficking syndicates on the India-Pakistan border, the emergence of maritime routes for narcotic smuggling, and the rise of narcoterrorism in the Kashmir Valley underline the persistence of this challenge. The imperative is for a stringent crackdown on drug trafficking and criminal and terrorist networks, as well as strengthened international cooperation.

Terrorist financing comes from multiple sources, both legitimate and unlawful. This complicates the task of countering terrorist financing. For the narco-trade, engagement with drug trafficking provides terrorist organisations with lucrative sources of funding, with drug trafficking syndicates and terrorist organisations leveraging each other’s resources and networks to facilitate their operations; terrorist organisations also use drug smuggling to destabilise a country to achieve their political objectives. Drug trafficking is often perceived as a reliable and quicker way of generating cash revenue for arms and other logistical requirements. By its very nature, drug trafficking transcends national borders through a web of criminal networks and terrorist activities.

This paper can be accessed here.

This paper is authored by Ayjaz Wani and Sameer Patil, ORF.

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