Drug-free India mission triggers multi-agency assault on cartels and money laundering networks

New Delhi, June 17 (IANS) The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has embarked upon a major mission to dismantle narcotic syndicates and their networks in India. The Narendra Modi government is channelising its premier security agencies to crack down on these networks.

The move comes amid the Narendra Modi government’s promise to make India completely drug-free. Union Home Minister Amit Shah is overseeing these operations and has instructed all the premier agencies to use all resources at their disposal to crack down on narcotic terror and work urgently on making India a drug-free nation.

An official said that all the central agencies are working in close coordination to achieve this goal. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his interactions with various global leaders, has emphasised the need for close coordination and cooperation when it comes to dismantling narcotic syndicates. The official said this operation cannot be successful unless the national players work on the problem. The cooperation by the international agencies is equally important to fight this menace, the official also added.

Another official said that this time around, we are not just looking at the menace that emanates from the Pakistan border. While this border has posed the biggest problem for a long period of time, drug syndicates have expanded to other nations.

Following a thorough mapping of the routes, the central agencies have learned that the international narcotic network spans over countries like Iran, Pakistan, Australia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Italy and Thailand.

This means that coordination with these countries becomes equally important. These syndicates that operate from these countries not only function individually, but they are also closely linked. They work like a well-oiled mechanism, and over the years, they have managed to create multiple routes to smuggle drugs into. India, the official pointed out.

An Intelligence Bureau official said that they have managed to identify one Simranjit Singh who operates from Italy. He works in close coordination with one Tanveer Bedi, who runs operations from Australia. Both these persons stay in touch with the Dawood Ibrahim Syndicate in Pakistan and smuggle drugs into India. The agencies have also identified a key handler in Pakistan known as Tarqie, who is a major ISI asset overseeing the India operations.

The official said that the problem is not just for India, but also affects the countries from where these persons operate. This calls for close coordination, and dismantling this massive network is not just beneficial for India but for the international community as well.

The NIA is also closely pursuing the drug syndicates that are operating from Punjab. The ISI has kept some of its key assets in the state. These persons do not just assume the role of smuggling drugs into India, but also ensure that the funds are routed back to Pakistan. The ISI, in turn, uses these funds to run terror groups such as the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed.

Officials say the operation being undertaken under the direct watch of Home Minister Amit Shah is significant. The scaling up of operations by the ISI is a signal that it needs a lot of funds to rebuild terror networks in Pakistan. Moreover, for the ISI, rebuilding its two favourite proxies, the JeM and LeT, is also important as they need them to battle against groups such as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).

Officials say that the Enforcement Directorate too has a big role to play in dismantling narcotic networks. The ED’s role is equally important in this major operation, as tracing the money trail would be crucial. The agencies have to crack down on the money laundering networks of these narcotic cartels to bust their networks.

An official explained that the operation would be similar to the one carried out against the separatists of Jammu and Kashmir. While the NIA traced the terror links, the ED busted their operations by shutting down their money trail, the official also explained.

–IANS

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