Hair, snake venom among quirky items smuggled in via land routes

On the eastern front, there are increasing cases of gangs smuggling human hair, snake venom and even Phensedyl cough syrup. On January 6, the Border Security Force at Kakargora outpost in Meghalaya seized 300kg of human hair being smuggled to Bangladesh.

Smugglers continue to be active at India’s borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh, keeping border guards on their toes with new methods and newer items being illicitly transported.

Around 1,411 smugglers have been caught by security personnel in January and February. (Image for representational purpose)

Around 1,411 smugglers have been caught by security personnel in January and February, officials said.

While illegal cattle, jewellery and marijuana shipments are common, security personnel are increasingly seeing use of modern technology by gangs smuggling other, newer items. For example, smugglers from Pakistan are using drones to drop heroin and weapons at the border in Punjab. Such incidents saw an uptick last year after the first case was spotted in 2019.

On the eastern front, there are increasing cases of gangs smuggling human hair, snake venom and even Phensedyl cough syrup. On January 6, the Border Security Force at Kakargora outpost in Meghalaya seized 300kg of human hair being smuggled to Bangladesh. The seizure last year was 225kg, and 397kg in 2021.

“The trend of Bangladesh being used transit point for smuggled hair started sometime in 2021. The smuggled hair is finally taken to China and Taiwan to make wigs. We are told that the factories in China demand Indian hair. The hair is washed in local factories, polished and smuggled to Bangladesh,” an officer from the force’s north Bengal frontier said on condition of anonymity.

While smuggling of hair through the 4,097.7km border with Bangladesh is a recent trend, it has always seen cattle smuggling. The BSF seized at least 111,233 cattle from smugglers between 2018 and 2022 from the international border in West Bengal, according to data seen by HT.

“Smugglers take advantage of the riverine and porous border with Bangladesh to smuggle cattle,” another BSF officer said, declining to be named. “From a high of 39,965 cattle seized in 2018, the number was 1,179 last year. We have curbed cattle smuggling.”

Similarly, other common smuggled items are marijuana (63,499kg seized since 2020), gold (198kg) and Yaba tablets (2,066,905 tablets since 2020), according to official data. Yaba tablets, also known as a happy drug, is a combination of methamphetamine and caffeine and is used as an intoxicant.

Besides Yaba tablets. Phensedyl is one of the most sought-after intoxicants in Bangladesh. Between 2020 and 2023 (till February 28), the BSF seized 1,284,271 bottles of the common cough syrup. Since people in Bangladesh need a medical certificate to drink alcohol, the smuggled syrup is used as a substitute. Phensedyl, which is available for less than ₹150 a bottle in India, is sold for nearly ₹1,200 in the neighbouring country.

Police and security agencies have even busted illicit Phensedyl factories near border areas.

The problem of using Phensedyl as a substitute for recreational drugs has been noticed by doctors’ associations majorly in the northeast, Bangladesh and Myanmar borders, according to ​Dr JA Jayalal, former president of the Indian Medical Association.

“The ingredients such as caffeine in cough syrups used in high doses can cause irreversible damage to a person’s neurological system and kidneys. It can be addictive, and the side effects are permanent, if used beyond the prescribed qualities,” he said.

Some indulge in the rare but expensive snake venom. On 23 November 2022, authorities seized 2.17kg of snake venom worth ₹17 crore. On February 17, 2021, they seized nearly 2.15kg of venom.

“We busted three cases in 2022 and 2021. Snake venom is used in China for medicinal purposes, especially in chemotherapy,” the second officer said. “Apart from this, there is also demand for smuggling birds and animals.”

“Only last week, we seized 135 parrots from two smugglers. On February 16, we arrested a man with 11 Hungarian Giant House Pigeons and Phensedyl bottles. The same tout was smuggling both items. Yaba tablets and Phensedyl had taken over cattle smuggling,” he said.

On the western frontier, where India shares 553km of fenced border with Pakistan at Punjab, it isn’t cattle, Phensedyl, or animal trade. Security personnel are grappling with the increasing cases of smuggling heroin and weapons using drones. On Thursday, when Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann met Union home minister Amit Shah, he apprised Shah about the menace and sought his intervention.

Border guards have shot down eight drones and seized nearly 16kg of heroin this year in Punjab. Last year, the BSF recovered 316kg heroin, 67 weapons and 850 rounds of ammunition. At least 22 drones were shot down as well.

“The border here is fenced and is not porous. So, the only option that smugglers have is to use drones. They do not want to risk their lives by entering the country illegally from this frontier,” an official at the Punjab frontier said, requesting anonymity. “We have also come across drones carrying Chinese pistols. We are working with the other sister agencies to end this menace.”