Pubdate: Sat, 26 Dec 2015
Source: DNA (India)
Copyright: 2015 Diligent Media Corporation Ltd
Contact:  http://www.dnaindia.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4442
Author: Shweta Desai

DELHI EMERGING AS GLOBAL TRANSIT HUB FOR DRUGS BY COURIER AND POST

New Delhi: India's geographical location, huddled in between the 
neighboring golden triangle of Thailand-Myanmar-Laos and the golden 
crescent of Afghanistan-Pakistan, the regions fueling the illicit drug 
trade, was always an attractive destination for traffickers in the 
global narcotics smuggling. It turns out now that the capital city of 
Delhi is fast becoming the favourite transit area for international 
transshipment from high-end synthetic drugs to street-used ganja, 
charas. And the long-exploited mode of shipment through couriers is 
becoming the preferred method of smuggling drugs.

This year itself, the Delhi unit of Narcotics Control Bureau has
intercepted as many as 28 cases from the total of 47 cases, containing
consignments of charas, heroin, cocaine, cannabis and methaqualone
amphetamine mailed through private courier companies and the Indian
Postal Service. That's an average of two cases per month, a three fold
jump from the previous year's seizure, which had seven such instances
of heroin and cocaine hidden in parcels. In 2014, there were 48 cases
all over India that used couriers or parcels to transmit drugs.

Traditional drugs like heroin and opium are trafficked from
Afghanistan into India via Pakistan, through road ways like
Attari-Wagah border and then onward to Delhi. For further shipment in
Europe, West Asia and America, smugglers depend on couriers. In the
last 5 years, there is increasing trend of incoming parcel
consignments of meth and cocaine originating from Latin American
countries and outbound packages of hashish, opium and cannabis from
India to international markets.

Drug smuggling through parcel or mail in India, experts say is
relatively easier. "Regulations for shipment of packages is not highly
monitored, due to lack of scanners and high dependence on random
checking. Plus, the penalty or punishment if caught is not a serious
deterrent, leading the big guys in smuggling to make use of individual
peddlers to do the job,'' says R N Srivastava, additional director
general of National Academy of Customs Excise & Narcotics.

The frequent attempts of using mail and parcels, has led the Indian
Postal Service to tighten its scrutinising process. It has made it
mandatory for senders of international couriers to provide identity
documents such as passport or Aadhaar card.
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MAP posted-by: Matt