DGP Nagaland, Rupin Sharma, IPS with DG (NCB), Anurag Garg, IPS and other dignitaries during the Regional Conference of Heads of ANTF of NE States held at Police Complex, Chümoukedima on November 13. (DIPR Photo)
Stresses need for coordinated combat strategy and roadmap in NE
Anti-Narcotics Task Forces Conference underway in Chümoukedima
Chümoukedima, November 13 (MExN): Director General of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Anurag Garg today stated that drug trafficking and drug abuse are emerging as ‘new security challenge’ for the country with serious consequences for public health and safety.
Speaking at the inaugural session of the two-day Regional Conference of Heads of Anti-Narcotics Task Forces (ANTFs) of NE States, including Sikkim and West Bengal in Chümoukedima, he highlighted that money generated through drug trafficking is channelled into various organised criminal activities, including financing terrorism, arms trafficking, and money laundering.
He observed that the easy availability of drugs spurs demand, leading to anti-social behaviour, family strife, domestic violence, and increased burden on the State exchequer due to healthcare costs and de-addiction centres.
Consequently, he said, the youth, who should be the driving force of the economy, are at risk of becoming a burden.
Citing a 2019 MoSJE survey, Garg noted that many States in the NE region report drug consumption levels well above the national average.
Addressing these challenges, he emphasised the need for strong coordination and collaboration among Central and State enforcement, intelligence, and security agencies.
The NCB, he said, serves as the nodal agency at the national level to ensure such coordination, adding that its presence at the conference underscored this role.
Garg further informed that ANTFs have now been notified in all 36 States and Union Territories across India, performing almost the same role as the NCB at the national level.
The ANTFs act as the “first line of defence” against drugs in the States and UTs, he added.
The NCB Chief also noted that following the National ANTF Conference held in New Delhi in September, it was felt that the NE required special focus due to its proximity to the ‘Golden Triangle’ and the porous Indo-Myanmar border, which have led to a significant inflow of narcotics affecting the region’s socio-economic fabric.
To buttress this, he pointed out that after the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, Myanmar has emerged as the world’s largest cultivator of opium and producer of heroin, as well as one of the biggest producers of methamphetamine. These operations, he said, are conducted by “organised crime groups, ethnic militias, and insurgent organisations” involved in arms supply, extortion, and money laundering.
In this context, Garg said that several NE States have become major entry points for heroin and methamphetamine, which are trafficked to other parts of India and Bangladesh. The easy availability of cheap drugs, he held, has also fuelled rising demand within the region.
Accordingly, the NCB Chief emphasised that the NE requires special attention and expressed gratitude to the Nagaland Government for hosting the conference as well as participation from other states and agencies reflecting their commitment to tackling the drug menace.
He highlighted key focus areas of the conference, including targeting major drug syndicates instead of small-time couriers and users; conducting 360° investigations in NDPS cases to trace financial flows, criminal linkages etc; real-time intelligence sharing; strengthening de-addiction and counselling facilities; destroying illicit cultivation; and enhancing ANTFs’ capacity.
Garg expressed hope that the conference would help chart a roadmap to combat the drug menace in the NE and inspire collective efforts towards achieving a Drug-Free India by 2047.
Officials from the NCB, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE), and police departments from all the NE States, Sikkim and West Bengal are attending the conference.
