Operation “Gear Box”

Operation "Gear Box" was recently started by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) to stop the drug cartel from smuggling illegal substances.

About

• The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985's requirements were used to guide DRI's examination and seizure procedures.
• To avoid detection by law enforcement, the drug packets were delivered hidden inside the metal debris.
• In order to prevent discovery, the gears from the old and used gearboxes were removed once they were opened, and the plastic packets holding the narcotic drugs were then placed in the hollow created.
• This special method of operation has been adopted by the drug cartel to conceal heroin.

Abuse of drugs in India

• India is one of the world's single greatest opiate markets in terms of users, and would probably be vulnerable to an increase in supply, according to the World Drug Report 2022.
• According to the 2019 National Survey on Extent and Pattern of Substance Use in India, 2.1% of the population (2.26 crore people) use opioids, which include heroin, prescription opioids, and opium (or its variations such poppy husk known as Doda/phukki).
• The proceeds from the drug trade are used to fund criminal enterprises such as terrorism, human trafficking, and others.
• The drug addiction epidemic is rapidly spreading among Indian youngsters.
• India is surrounded by the Golden Triangle on one side and the Golden Crescent on the other, which are the two greatest opium-producing regions in the world.
• Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam, and Laos make up the "golden triangle" region.
• Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran are all part of the "golden crescent" region.
• A total of 59,806 cases were filed under the NDPS Act, according to the Crime in India 2020 report from the National Crime Records Bureau.
• In 2019, there were as follows, per the Social Justice Ministry and All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) report on the extent of substance use:
• 3.15 billion marijuana users (of which 25 lakhs were dependent users).
• 28 lakh of the 2.3 crore opioid users were dependent users.

Principal Causes of Drug Abuse;

• drug abuse among peers and friends
• inadequate social support
• Life's stresses
• bad socioeconomic standing
• a mental illness like depression
• lack of friends in social settings, such as school
• traumatic experiences
• The global pandemic's impact on the economy may encourage more people to consume drugs or make them more susceptible to engagement in drug trafficking and related crimes.

Impacts

• It has made India's crime situation worse.
• People who engage in narcotic narcotics play a role in the deaths of innocent and helpless victims.
• Other effects include job loss, money problems, sexual assault, accidents and injuries, legal repercussions, etc.

Different actions are taken:

Coordination by Various International Organizations:

• In order to fight international drug trafficking, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) worked with other foreign organizations to share information and intelligence.
• They included the International Narcotics Control Board, the SAARC, the BRICS, the Colombo Plan, ASEAN, BIMSTEC, and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

Various Central and State Agencies Coordinating:

• The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) established the Narco Coordination Centre (NCORD) mechanism in 2016 to help with effective drug law enforcement.
• In July 2019, the NCORD system was reorganized into a four-tier system that extends to the district level for greater cooperation.
• To oversee the investigation into incidents involving significant seizures, a Joint Coordination Committee was established in July 2019 with the NCB Director General serving as its chairman.

Portal for the SIMS (Seizure Information Management System):

• For all drug law enforcement agencies mandated by the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, the MHA created an e-portal called "SIMS" in 2019 for the digitization of pan-India drug seizure data (NDPS).

National Fund for Drug Abuse Prevention:

• It was established to cover the costs associated with stopping the illegal traffic in narcotic drugs, helping addicts get well, and warning the public about drug misuse, among other things.

Project Sunrise:

• It was launched by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in 2016, to tackle the rising HIV prevalence in north-eastern states in India, especially among people injecting drugs.

The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, (NDPS) 1985:

• It prohibits a person from producing, possessing, selling, purchasing, transporting, storing, and/or consuming any narcotic drug or psychotropic substance.

The NDPS Act has since been amended thrice – in 1988, 2001 and 2014.

• The Act extends to the whole of India and it applies also to all Indian citizens outside India and to all persons on ships and aircraft registered in India.

‘Nasha Mukt Bharat’, or Drug-Free India Campaign:

• It focuses on community outreach programs.

International Treaties and Conventions to Combat Drug Menace:

India is a signatory of the following International treaties and conventions to combat the menace of Drug Abuse:

• United Nations (UN) Convention on Narcotic Drugs (1961)
• UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances (1971).
• UN Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (1988)
• UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) 2000

Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI)

• To combat the scourge of smuggling in India, the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) established the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) in 1957 as the premier intelligence and investigation agency.
• With its intelligence inputs on a variety of topics, including counterfeit money, illegal drugs, gold, arms and ammunition, wildlife, cultural heritage, and commercial fraud, DRI has established itself as the world's top intelligence organization, earning the respect of both international and domestic agencies.
• The Customs Act of 1962 and more than fifty related laws, such as the Arms Act, NDPS Act, COFEPOSA (Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities), Wildlife Act, Antiquities Act, etc., are all enforced by DRI.
• The DRI has also been designated as the lead agency for S-CORD, the national anti-smuggling coordination centre.
• It maintains contact with the CBI and INTERPOL.

Way ahead

• India must deal with the issue on the demand side in addition to taking action to reduce supply by cracking down on cross-border trafficking, enacting stiffer punishments under the NDPS Act, or strengthening drug enforcement.
• Instead of considering addiction a character fault, consider it a disease that anyone might be dealing with. Therefore, it's important to lessen the stigma attached to drug use. The general public must comprehend that drug addicts are victims, not criminals.
• There needs to control over certain agricultural medications that contain more than 50% alcohol and narcotics. To stop the drug epidemic in the nation, strict action is needed from the police, excise, and narcotics departments.

Also, Read - Indo-Saudi Strategic Partnership