Drug Cartels Go Global, Financial Intel Key To Busting Narco Rings: Experts

Time of India

6 hours ago

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Nagpur: Financial footprints often serve as core evidence in drug cases when other forms of proof are lacking, said Shashank Sheohare, assistant director, NCB Mumbai, during a panel discussion on Thursday.
"Crime crosses borders. Its trail often leads to countries like Thailand and Dubai. In such cases, transaction patterns and repetitive trends help us draw critical conclusions," he said.
Sheohare was speaking at a panel discussion held during the national conference on prevention of drug abuse, part of the week-long anti-narcotics campaign 'Operation Thunder,' which concluded on Thursday, observed globally as International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.
"It is a regular exercise for peddlers to go to jail, come out and continue their business. The only way to curb this is to snap their money supply. Unless this happens, the cycle continues," he said.
Former DGP and city police commissioner Bhushan Upadhyay acknowledged that some portrayals in Bollywood films — such as police planting drugs — were not entirely fictional. "Such incidents did happen in the past. But with increased surveillance, public awareness, and use of data analytics, these practices have declined sharply," he said.
Upadhyay flagged rising substance abuse among youth as a serious concern. Citing a ministry of justice sample survey, he said 16 crore people in India are addicted to alcohol, 3 crore to cannabis, and 1.18 crore to non-medical pharmaceutical drugs. Over 8.5 lakh individuals use injectable narcotics. He also stressed on the importance of integrity in enforcement. "NDPS Act is not just punitive but preventive, with detention provisions.
Officers posted to the NCB should have unblemished service records. The special branch must ensure only those with proven honesty are appointed," he added.
Justice M A Sayeed, also on the panel, stressed on the importance of sensitising both judges and lawyers. "The judiciary steps in only after a chargesheet is filed. The NDPS Act includes provisions like probation or rehabilitation during trial, but these are rarely invoked.
Arresting someone isn't the end goal; de-addiction should be part of the process," he said.
Justice Sayeed also highlighted the socioeconomic disparity in arrests. "It's often alleged and rightly so that poor are arrested more frequently than the rich. The affluent are harder to catch, mainly because tip-offs are rare. Even if we do, police can't just barge into a big party, as that will trigger a violation of human rights law.
Yet, despite this, the Nagpur police have dedicatedly taken action on rave parties in the city.
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Building on this, Sheohare said drug peddlers operate in tight, isolated systems. "Each level in the chain works independently. Communication is minimal — sometimes just a 'yes' or 'no.' Even if there's a big player behind the scenes, those at the street level often have no knowledge of them."
On the use of cryptocurrencies in drug trafficking, Sheohare added, "Crypto was designed to bypass regulatory frameworks.
We've seen some such transactions on the dark web, which we're monitoring closely, yet keeping track of the dark web itself is a challenge."
Hariom Gandhi, DIG-NDRF noted that India is now seeing a form of 'drug democracy', where both rich and poor are using narcotics though of different kinds. "While the affluent lean toward cocaine and fentanyl, the poor often use MD or codeine. Cocaine acts as a stimulant, speeding up the nervous system, while heroin and similar drugs have a numbing effect," he said.
Gandhi pointed out that higher incomes are driving increased spending on drugs. "Many de-addiction centres lack proper diagnostic tools. Doctors often aren't trained to identify the specific drugs or adulterants used," he warned.
NCB to Set Up Sub-Station in Nagpur Amid Rising Drug Activity
Nagpur is set to get its own Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) sub-station, marking a major step in combating drug trafficking in Central India.
Known for its central location and growing strategic importance, Nagpur has seen a sharp rise in drug-related cases in recent years.
Until now, the region fell under jurisdiction of NCB's Mumbai Zonal Office. But with the volume and complexity of cases increasing, officials have decided it's time for a more direct presence.
The upcoming sub-station will launch with a core team of 6 to 7 officers. However, NCB sources say staffing may scale up based on operational demands. The goal is to improve surveillance, crack down on trafficking networks, and respond more swiftly to local intelligence. NCB leads the fight against drug smuggling and this move signals a deeper focus on Central India's evolving drug landscape.