Heroin cartels trick fishermen to turn smugglers

Heroin smuggling between Indian and Sri Lanka is picking up pace once again. The recent seizure of 13.5 kg of heroin from an Indian dhow by the Sri Lankan Navy is an indication that the international heroin cartel, which uses Sri Lanka as a transhipment destination, is using Indian fishermen to smuggle the contraband to the island nation. Top sources say the conflict between the Indian fishermen and Sri Lankan Navy often arises when the latter attempts to cut the drug flow by the sea route. 

The one-way heroin trade between India and Sri Lanka was established hundreds of years ago, first for the domestic consumption in Sri Lanka. The Narcotics Control Bureau officials claimed that LTTE sourced heroin from India to raise funds for purchasing weapons. Soon, Sri Lanka became a transhipment point for the heroin trade and the supplies mainly went to South East Asian countries. This trend showed a decline during the peak of the ethnic conflict due to the tightened vigil by Sri Lankan Navy, especially in the northern provinces which were under the control of LTTE. 

“After the fall of LTTE, the international heroin drug cartels are now trying to replicate the model adopted by the LTTE — to bribe Indian fishermen to smuggle the contraband. There is a regular flow of the drug from India to Sri Lanka and the Indian fishermen are the main carriers through the sea route,” an NCB official told DTNext. 

Heroin, which is being produced from poppy plants, is not available in Sri Lanka. About two thirds of the heroin production worldwide is being done in Afghanistan. According to the annual report of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in 2016, there has been a reduction of about 38 per cent in global heroin production but on the contrary, heroin usage in several areas have gone up. The international heroin cartel that sources heroin via Sri Lanka gets the drug smuggled out from Afghanistan to India and bring it to Tamil Nadu by road. 

“High quality heroin is being smuggled from Afghanistan to India through the 550-km long border that Punjab shares with Pakistan,” an NCB official said. Once it lands in Punjab, heroin is further processed to bring down the purity of the drug and supplied to various parts of the country, both for do mestic consumption and for smuggling out of India. “Grade three heroin, which is commonly referred to as brown sugar is more in demand among domestic users both in India and Sri Lanka. The high-quality heroin being smuggled by road to different Indian cities, is for other countries,” the official added. 

NCB officials say that the inter-state truck drivers are used by the drug cartel to smuggle heroin from Punjab to Tamil Nadu. Carriers are also despatched through train routes as it is easier to get rid of security checks. “Most of the heroin that lands in Tamil Nadu reaches Ramanathapuram, the closest sea link to Sri Lanka. Smaller quantities are also smuggled out to South East Asian countries through Chennai airport. But larger quantities  are smuggled to Sri Lanka through the sea route from Rameswaram,” the official added. 

Officials say that the contraband that the fishermen carry are handed over to designated people mid sea. “It is difficult to monitor the trade. Hundreds of fishing boats venture into sea from Rameswaram for fishing and it is humanly not possible to check all of them. Sri Lankan Navy intercepts such vessels only when they grow suspicious or on specific information,” the official added. 

In the last 15 months, Sri Lankan Navy has seized 2,140 kilograms of Kerala cannabis and 130 kilograms of heroin and most of these consignments were carried by Indian fishermen.

2,140 kg Kerala cannabis and 130 kg heroin seized by Sri Lankan Navy in the last 15 months 

15 No of Indians arrested by Sri Lankan Police Narcotics Bureau in 2016 on smuggling charges. 

50,000 No of active heroin consumers in Sri Lanka A UNODC report suggests that there is a surge in heroin abuse, which had been showing a declining trend. 

90 per cent of the heroin coming to India are smuggled through land borders between Punjab and Pakistan. 

Truck drivers are used to smuggle heroin from Punjab to Tamil Nadu.