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Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
Tamil Nadu's drug network: Is state the new hub for international drug cartels and narco-terrorism?
As the midday sun spreads its rays across the sandy shores of Tuticorin, waves gently lap jetties. The salt-heavy waters of the Bay of Bengal appear bleached as stray dogs claw the sand for crabs. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Barring men unknotting nets, there is hardly any human presence. But the calm seaside picture is deceptive. Under the cover of darkness, jetties along the coasts of Ramanathapuram and Tuticorin are used as exit points by drug smugglers to send consignments for cartels in Sri Lanka and the Maldives. The stretch of coast, though far from the epicentres of drug production, is increasingly caught in the currents of a larger narcotics trade. Today, about 2,000kg of drugs reach SL every month via India, say state intelligence sources. Drugs from Myanmar are brought by road to TN mostly by Moreh Tamils in Manipur with easy access to the Golden Triangle nations, say investigators. A sizeable number of this community live in Red Hills in Chennai. Methamphetamine is now the dominant drug, with seizures having grown four-fold between 2013 and 2022. Synthetic drugs offer flexibility, as they have shorter production times and no fixed geography. They do not require large areas of land or labour but only cheap chemical inputs that can be relatively easy to source. India is strategically located between the Gold Crescent and the Golden Triangle, sharing borders with seven countries making it one of the major consumer and exit points for drug trafficking through these regions. Significant is the fact that offenders from India, African countries and Sri Lanka, facing trial, continue to operate well-oiled cartels from Puzhal prison in Chennai and the Trichy special camp that accommodate foreign nationals charged with criminal offences, say investigators. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now A new UNODC World Drug Report 2025, released on June 26, said a new era of global instability has intensified challenges in addressing the world drug problem, empowering organized crime groups and pushing drug use to historically high levels. As per the World Drug Report 2024 released by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the Golden Triangle, spanning the Lao People's Democratic Republic, Myanmar and Thailand, is a hub for opium and synthetic drug production, consignments of which are routed through Tamil Nadu. Opium's dominance as the main source of illegal revenues has, however, declined over the past 30 years and there is a shift towards synthetic drugs such as methamphetamine, says the report. The bigger concern among central investigating agencies in India is the spectre of narco-terrorism. As per an intelligence unit report prepared in 2023 and accessed by TOI, 'War on terror coupled with war on drugs together pose a composite threat in the form of narcotics-terrorism, which has also emerged as a module being adopted by ISI to fund its subversive and terror activities in India and it is increasingly perceived as the primary source of terror funding in Kashmir Valley. ' When contacted, the ministry of external affairs declined to comment. Narco-terrorism in India is not a new phenomenon. For years, terrorism has ridden piggyback on the narcotics trade for funds, say intelligence sources. In 2021, for example, the Indian Coast Guard and Narcotics Control Bureau intercepted Sri Lankan fishing vessel 'Ravihansi' in Indian waters off the Vizhinjam coast of Kerala and seized 300kg of heroin along with five AK-47 Rifles and 1,000 rounds of 9mm ammunition, says a retired senior police officer who worked on the case. The heroin, concealed in the vessel's water tank, was from Iran. One of the 14 accused in the case is a resident of Chennai. He later turned approver. TN'S GANJA FIELDS Though cotton and vegetables have replaced the once lush cannabis fields spread across the lower slopes of Varusanadu in Theni, ganja is still grown in small pockets in the region as well as in Tiruvannamalai. TOI trekked up the Varusanadu hills to find large blackened and burnt patches on hill tops, evidence of govt action against ganja farms that were flourishing not long ago. But small ganja farms that have escaped watchful eyes continue to survive in small patches tucked away behind trees and shrubs higher up on the mountain, says CPI's Theni district committee member P Manavalan. PRISON CARTELS Offenders from India, African countries and Sri Lanka, facing trial, continue to operate well-oiled cartels from TN prisons. Drug lords in Pakistan and Sri Lanka run efficient networks that reach Puzhal prison in Chennai and the Trichy special camp that accommodate foreign nationals charged with criminal offences PAINKILLERS ON THE MOVE The UNODC data on drug use confirm that the non-medical use of the painkiller tramadol is one of the major drug-related health concerns. Despite improved control measures in India, most of the tramadol present in the illicit markets in Africa continues to depart from South Asia More than 30 countries identified as sources for pregabalin across Asia, Europe and Africa, but the drug seems to originate mostly in India, says UNODC report. Email your feedback with name and address to
The Advertiser
27-06-2025
- The Advertiser
Aust, NZ world's biggest cocaine, ecstasy users: UN
Australia and New Zealand have the highest per capita cocaine and ecstasy use in the world, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) World Drug Report 2025. Three per cent of people between the ages of 15-64 in the countries grouped under the Oceania region used cocaine in 2023, almost double that of the Americas (1.6 per cent) and slightly less than triple that of Europe (1.1 per cent), according to the data published on Thursday. However, wastewater analysis cited in the report showed that consumption is "clearly lower" than other parts of the world, suggesting most users in the two countries use the drug occasionally, rather than regularly. "Past-year use of 'ecstasy' in the subregion ... remains by far the highest worldwide; this is consistent with 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) levels found in wastewater analysis," it added. In addition, it said cannabis use in the two countries is "still significantly higher than the global average", and prevalence among school students aged 15 and 16 is also relatively high in Oceania, at 13 per cent, compared with the global average of 4.4 per cent The report highlights that global cocaine production reached 3700 tons of pure cocaine in 2023, a 34 per cent increase on the previous year, and that drug trafficking routes have increasingly diversified to Africa, Asia and Australia, and are no longer limited to its main markets, Europe and North America. "The Pacific islands are increasingly targeted as transit points for cocaine and methamphetamine primarily destined for Australia and New Zealand," the report notes. Seizures of cocaine also reached "record levels" in the two countries, where drug trafficking groups are attracted by the greater purchasing power of its citizens and the high price of the drug. Furthermore, drug traffickers take advantage of the thousands of kilometres of coastline of these two large island nations due to the difficulty of policing such a vast area. In December 2024, Australian police seized 2.34 tons of cocaine (with a blackmarket value of nearly $A760 million) in one of the country's largest anti-drug operations. Australia and New Zealand have the highest per capita cocaine and ecstasy use in the world, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) World Drug Report 2025. Three per cent of people between the ages of 15-64 in the countries grouped under the Oceania region used cocaine in 2023, almost double that of the Americas (1.6 per cent) and slightly less than triple that of Europe (1.1 per cent), according to the data published on Thursday. However, wastewater analysis cited in the report showed that consumption is "clearly lower" than other parts of the world, suggesting most users in the two countries use the drug occasionally, rather than regularly. "Past-year use of 'ecstasy' in the subregion ... remains by far the highest worldwide; this is consistent with 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) levels found in wastewater analysis," it added. In addition, it said cannabis use in the two countries is "still significantly higher than the global average", and prevalence among school students aged 15 and 16 is also relatively high in Oceania, at 13 per cent, compared with the global average of 4.4 per cent The report highlights that global cocaine production reached 3700 tons of pure cocaine in 2023, a 34 per cent increase on the previous year, and that drug trafficking routes have increasingly diversified to Africa, Asia and Australia, and are no longer limited to its main markets, Europe and North America. "The Pacific islands are increasingly targeted as transit points for cocaine and methamphetamine primarily destined for Australia and New Zealand," the report notes. Seizures of cocaine also reached "record levels" in the two countries, where drug trafficking groups are attracted by the greater purchasing power of its citizens and the high price of the drug. Furthermore, drug traffickers take advantage of the thousands of kilometres of coastline of these two large island nations due to the difficulty of policing such a vast area. In December 2024, Australian police seized 2.34 tons of cocaine (with a blackmarket value of nearly $A760 million) in one of the country's largest anti-drug operations. Australia and New Zealand have the highest per capita cocaine and ecstasy use in the world, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) World Drug Report 2025. Three per cent of people between the ages of 15-64 in the countries grouped under the Oceania region used cocaine in 2023, almost double that of the Americas (1.6 per cent) and slightly less than triple that of Europe (1.1 per cent), according to the data published on Thursday. However, wastewater analysis cited in the report showed that consumption is "clearly lower" than other parts of the world, suggesting most users in the two countries use the drug occasionally, rather than regularly. "Past-year use of 'ecstasy' in the subregion ... remains by far the highest worldwide; this is consistent with 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) levels found in wastewater analysis," it added. In addition, it said cannabis use in the two countries is "still significantly higher than the global average", and prevalence among school students aged 15 and 16 is also relatively high in Oceania, at 13 per cent, compared with the global average of 4.4 per cent The report highlights that global cocaine production reached 3700 tons of pure cocaine in 2023, a 34 per cent increase on the previous year, and that drug trafficking routes have increasingly diversified to Africa, Asia and Australia, and are no longer limited to its main markets, Europe and North America. "The Pacific islands are increasingly targeted as transit points for cocaine and methamphetamine primarily destined for Australia and New Zealand," the report notes. Seizures of cocaine also reached "record levels" in the two countries, where drug trafficking groups are attracted by the greater purchasing power of its citizens and the high price of the drug. Furthermore, drug traffickers take advantage of the thousands of kilometres of coastline of these two large island nations due to the difficulty of policing such a vast area. In December 2024, Australian police seized 2.34 tons of cocaine (with a blackmarket value of nearly $A760 million) in one of the country's largest anti-drug operations. Australia and New Zealand have the highest per capita cocaine and ecstasy use in the world, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) World Drug Report 2025. Three per cent of people between the ages of 15-64 in the countries grouped under the Oceania region used cocaine in 2023, almost double that of the Americas (1.6 per cent) and slightly less than triple that of Europe (1.1 per cent), according to the data published on Thursday. However, wastewater analysis cited in the report showed that consumption is "clearly lower" than other parts of the world, suggesting most users in the two countries use the drug occasionally, rather than regularly. "Past-year use of 'ecstasy' in the subregion ... remains by far the highest worldwide; this is consistent with 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) levels found in wastewater analysis," it added. In addition, it said cannabis use in the two countries is "still significantly higher than the global average", and prevalence among school students aged 15 and 16 is also relatively high in Oceania, at 13 per cent, compared with the global average of 4.4 per cent The report highlights that global cocaine production reached 3700 tons of pure cocaine in 2023, a 34 per cent increase on the previous year, and that drug trafficking routes have increasingly diversified to Africa, Asia and Australia, and are no longer limited to its main markets, Europe and North America. "The Pacific islands are increasingly targeted as transit points for cocaine and methamphetamine primarily destined for Australia and New Zealand," the report notes. Seizures of cocaine also reached "record levels" in the two countries, where drug trafficking groups are attracted by the greater purchasing power of its citizens and the high price of the drug. Furthermore, drug traffickers take advantage of the thousands of kilometres of coastline of these two large island nations due to the difficulty of policing such a vast area. In December 2024, Australian police seized 2.34 tons of cocaine (with a blackmarket value of nearly $A760 million) in one of the country's largest anti-drug operations.
Miami Herald
26-06-2025
- Miami Herald
Maps Reveal Cocaine Trafficking Routes Across the Americas
Latest United Nations figures have revealed a spike in the world's production, seizure and use of cocaine, and maps show how North America is a hub for the global trade. The Vienna-based UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) released a report on Thursday, which said that in 2023, illegal production of cocaine increased by around one-third from the previous year. Newsweek has contacted the UNODC for further comment. The figures are for 2023 and, as of Thursday, have not been broken down into sub-national data, but offer a snapshot of how entrenched the cocaine market is in North America and the U.S. after years of efforts to clamp down on the trade. The UN released its World Drug Report 2025 on Thursday, which provided data about the narcotics trade over the course of 2023. It said global illegal production of cocaine reached 3,708 tons in 2023, or 34 percent more than the previous year's level of 2,757 tons. Columbia was the source for most of the drugs that eventually crossed the U.S.–Mexico border, according to the report. This was because the size of the area under illicit coca bush cultivation in Colombia had yielded 50 percent more product than the previous year. Production had stabilized in Bolivia and declined slightly in Peru. The UNODC maps show how Columbia, Peru and Bolivia are the hubs for the transport of the drug throughout the continent by land, sea and air. The main cocaine trafficking flows remain from the Andean countries in South America to North America, but also from the Andean countries to Europe, either directly or sometimes through West and Central Africa. The number of cocaine users globally has also kept growing, reaching 25 million people in 2023, up from 17 million a decade earlier. However, global cocaine seizures also reached a record high in 2023 across all regions, and between 2019 and 2023, there was a 68 percent rise in the amount of the drug seized worldwide. Australia and New Zealand are now the world's biggest per-capita users of the drug, with 3 percent of people aged 15 to 64 in the two countries using the drug in 2023, nearly double the figure in the Americas and almost three times that of Europe. UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) chief of research Angela Me: "The global cocaine market is breaking records with productions, seizures, and consumption all reaching new highs in 2023." The Trump administration has repeatedly said it would target drug cartels, and earlier this month, alleged drug traffickers accused of using "narco subs" and aircraft to transport large quantities of cocaine were sanctioned by the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control. Following the order, Treasury Deputy Secretary Michael Faulkender said in a statement on June 6 that it would "bring our unique tools and authorities to the fight against cartels and their affiliates." Related Articles FBI To Reopen Biden White House Cocaine Find, SCOTUS Abortion Opinion LeakNosy Housemate's Attempt To Steal 'Drugs' Leads to Six-Month Sensory LossInternational Drug Policy Should Put Health First. That Means Discouraging Use | OpinionDrug Smuggler Arrested for Hiding 200g of Cocaine Under Toupee 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
Newsweek
26-06-2025
- Newsweek
Maps Reveal Cocaine Trafficking Routes Across the Americas
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Latest United Nations figures have revealed a spike in the world's production, seizure and use of cocaine, and maps show how North America is a hub for the global trade. The Vienna-based UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) released a report on Thursday, which said that in 2023, illegal production of cocaine increased by around one-third from the previous year. Newsweek has contacted the UNODC for further comment. This image from November 6, 2024 shows Spanish police and customs officers in Algeciras, Spain, next to seized cocaine found in a container from Ecuador. This image from November 6, 2024 shows Spanish police and customs officers in Algeciras, Spain, next to seized cocaine found in a container from It Matters The figures are for 2023 and, as of Thursday, have not been broken down into sub-national data, but offer a snapshot of how entrenched the cocaine market is in North America and the U.S. after years of efforts to clamp down on the trade. What To Know The UN released its World Drug Report 2025 on Thursday, which provided data about the narcotics trade over the course of 2023. It said global illegal production of cocaine reached 3,708 tons in 2023, or 34 percent more than the previous year's level of 2,757 tons. Columbia was the source for most of the drugs that eventually crossed the U.S.–Mexico border, according to the report. This was because the size of the area under illicit coca bush cultivation in Colombia had yielded 50 percent more product than the previous year. Production had stabilized in Bolivia and declined slightly in Peru. The UNODC maps show how Columbia, Peru and Bolivia are the hubs for the transport of the drug throughout the continent by land, sea and air. The main cocaine trafficking flows remain from the Andean countries in South America to North America, but also from the Andean countries to Europe, either directly or sometimes through West and Central Africa. The number of cocaine users globally has also kept growing, reaching 25 million people in 2023, up from 17 million a decade earlier. However, global cocaine seizures also reached a record high in 2023 across all regions, and between 2019 and 2023, there was a 68 percent rise in the amount of the drug seized worldwide. Australia and New Zealand are now the world's biggest per-capita users of the drug, with 3 percent of people aged 15 to 64 in the two countries using the drug in 2023, nearly double the figure in the Americas and almost three times that of Europe. This map from the Vienna-based UNODC shows the main cocaine trafficking routes through the Americas by air. This map from the Vienna-based UNODC shows the main cocaine trafficking routes through the Americas by air. Vienna-based UNODC This map from the United Nations shows cocaine trafficking routes within the Americas by water. This map from the United Nations shows cocaine trafficking routes within the Americas by water. UNODC This map by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) shows main cocaine trafficking routes by land within the Americas. This map by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) shows main cocaine trafficking routes by land within the Americas. UN Office on Drugs and Crime UNODC What People Are Saying UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) chief of research Angela Me: "The global cocaine market is breaking records with productions, seizures, and consumption all reaching new highs in 2023." What Happens Next The Trump administration has repeatedly said it would target drug cartels, and earlier this month, alleged drug traffickers accused of using "narco subs" and aircraft to transport large quantities of cocaine were sanctioned by the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control. Following the order, Treasury Deputy Secretary Michael Faulkender said in a statement on June 6 that it would "bring our unique tools and authorities to the fight against cartels and their affiliates."
AU Financial Review
26-06-2025
- AU Financial Review
Australians are the world's biggest users of cocaine
Australia and New Zealand are the world's biggest users of cocaine, as global consumption of the illicit drug reaches record highs, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime said in its latest report. While more people use cocaine in the Americas than anywhere else, per-capita consumption is most prevalent in Australia and New Zealand, according to the World Drug Report 2025. Waste-water analysis suggests most people there are using cocaine only occasionally, the report said. Bloomberg
