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300% rise in heroin capture in five years, says NCB DG
The bureau last week busted a nationwide network of smugglers, who were using the darknet and cryptocurrencies to trade in illegal drugs.
India has seen an almost threefold rise in heroin shipments captured by the drug enforcement agency, from 2,146kg in 2017 to 7,282kg in 2021, the chief of the Narcotics Control Bureau said on Tuesday.
Drug syndicates and cartels operating in the country are preferring the sea route and the darknet. Darknet refers to the hidden part of the internet that can only be accessed using specialised software and pre-configured communication protocols.
Effective surveillance by the bureau has resulted in increased confiscation of illegal drugs, director general SN Pradhan said while inaugurating a hackathon titled Darkathon 2022 in Delhi.
“There has also been a 172% increase in opium seizure (from 2,551 kg in 2017 to 4,386 kg in 2021) and 191% increase in seizure of cannabis (from 3,52,539 kg in 2017 to 6,75,631 kg in 2021),” Pradhan said.
The hackathon, aimed at identifying and cataloguing active darknet markets selling drugs, is being organised in three phases, and will conclude on April 22.
The World Drug Report 2021 of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime said that 94% of the sales in darknet markets are related to illicit drugs, Pradhan said.
The bureau last week busted a nationwide network of smugglers, who were using the darknet and cryptocurrencies to trade in illegal drugs.
“Cyber crimes have permeated almost every facet of society and are growing in volume, velocity and sophistication with each passing day, posing challenges to best efforts of law enforcement agencies in India and across the world,” the agency said in a statement. “The anonymity offered has drawn criminals in all garbs to flock to it for aiding and abetting their crimes. Drugs are the most widely offered illegal substance in all of the darknet markets.”
