Combating the surge in Drug Peddling, among young generation
Dr Satish Bhardwaj
The menace of drug peddling has surged alarmingly across India, infiltrating cities, towns, and even rural areas causing overdose deaths of young children of Age 18 to 24 years. The increasing crimes like gang culture and gang wars and thefts in dwelling areas are also the outcome of unabated drug peddling activities by smugglers and peddlers for undue profit.
From school campuses to tech hubs, illicit narcotics networks are spreading addiction, destroying lives, and funding organized crime. While law enforcement agencies have made sporadic efforts to curb this crisis, the lack of a centralized, specialized investigative body has allowed syndicates to thrive with impunity. Drug syndicate has money power making that no body dare to give witness against these criminals making difficult for local police to gather technical as well as oral evidences. It is time India adopts a robust, NIA-style agency dedicated solely to dismantling drug cartels through intelligence-driven operations, inter-state coordination, and stringent legal action.
The Escalating Drug Epidemic
Recent seizures-such as the Rs 2,000 crore heroin haul in Gujarat or the arrest of international traffickers in Punjab and many seizures in Jammu and Kashmir measuring in quintals highlighting the scale of the problem. According to the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), drug-related cases rose by 27% in 2022-23, with synthetic drugs like methamphetamine and fentanyl flooding markets. Youth vulnerability is particularly distressing: a 2023 survey by the Social Justice Ministry revealed that 14% of individuals aged 10-17 are exposed to substance abuse. Beyond public health, drug money fuels terrorism, corruption, and gang culture, making it a multi-dimensional national threat. Overdose deaths occurring due to drug abuse has led to genetic death of many families.
Why Current Measures Fall Short
State police forces, though vigilant, often lack the resources, training, time and jurisdictional authority to tackle pan-India or transnational drug networks. Investigations are siloed, intelligence-sharing is sluggish, and prosecutions drag on for years due to inadequate legal expertise. Recent judgement from Hon’ble Jammu and Kashmir High Court regarding the investigation of NDPS cases by incompetent officers not taking investigation seriously to its logical conclusion is an eye opener for law enforcement agencies and law makers. Moreover, the NCB, India’s apex anti-drug agency, remains understaffed and overburdened, struggling to keep pace with evolving tactics like darknet sales and cryptocurrency payments.
Learning from the NIA Model
The National Investigation Agency (NIA), established after the 2008 Mumbai attacks, offers a blueprint for success. By centralizing terrorism-related probes, the NIA overcame inter-state barriers, deployed forensic and technical experts, and secured convictions in over 90% of cases. A similar agency State Investigation Agency also working on the pattern of NIA has helped curbing terrorism by threadbare investigation upto grassroot level, dismantling the whole ecosystem which support terrorism to flourish.
Although Anti Narcotics Task Force has been created as a specialized wing for narcotics, but its not working on the lines of NIA and SIA to acheive success. Whenever an incidence of terrorism is reported, NIA and SIA rush to the spot and assist local police to gather evidences during the initial stage of crime scene Investigation for watertight prosecution at the later stage by securing evidences to achieve the goal of convictions. On the later stage, NIA transfers investigations from all over the country for indepth investigation catching big fishes involved beside small fishes and generating further inputs and intelligence to built a data base for future reference and investigation. This is followed by futher attachment of property, freezing of accounts and extensive financial investigation. Convictions is ensured through proper Pairvi of all chargesheets during trials achieving the goal of convictions.
Anti Narcotics Task Force on the lines of NIA and SIA would collate data from state police, NCB, customs, and financial agencies to map supply chains, identify kingpins, and predict trafficking routes. Advanced tools like AI-powered analytics and blockchain tracking could disrupt smuggling networks to stop peddling at grassroot level. Posting of officers well versed in investigation, trained in cyber forensics, financial crimes, and undercover operations would enhance investigative precision. Collaborations with agencies like NIA, SIA, NCRB, Special Cells created in different states and UTs could foster national intelligence exchange.
Dedicated units could conduct simultaneous raids across states, preventing evidence destruction and ensuring swift arrests. The Anti-Narcotics Task Force’s legal mandate would override bureaucratic delays, enabling seizures of assets and extradition of fugitive associated with narco-terrorism and gangs.
Strengthening Prosecution and Pairvi of Case during Trial.
Without Strengthening Prosecution all efforts of investigation agencies will go in vain. Special courts and prosecutors well-versed in the NDPS Act would fast-track trials with the help of pairvi officers from Anti- Narcotics investigation agency , ensuring water tight prosectuion and stringent penalties for traffickers instead of prolonged bail hearings.
Responsibility of Parents
Only blaming police and law enforcement will not suffice the purpose and parents also need to shoulder their responsibility. Onus of saving their wards also lies on them. Parents should give time to their children’s and spent time together. Joint family Model may play a better role to save children from distractions and going into the clutches of drug abuse. Keeping watch over the change in behavior and increasing demand of money may help in early diagnosis of as possible drug abuse.
Global Precedents and the Way Forward
Countries like the U.S. (DEA) and the U.K. (NCA) have demonstrated how specialized agencies can cripple drug empires. India must act decisively: allocate funds, upgrade laws, and empower the ANTF with autonomy akin to the NIA/SIA. Rehablitation facilities need to be upgraded with counselling of those entrapped by the ghost of drugs.Beside this Public awareness campaigns, Parents awareness especially of those whose children are suffering addiction and vulnerable children would generate synergy to achieve common goal of saving society from drug abuse and complement enforcement to break the demand-supply cycle.
Conclusion
Drug peddling is not just a crime-it’s a war against India’s future. Drugs overdose deaths have casued Genetic Deaths of many families in the recent past.By creating a specialized agency with the teeth to bite into cartels, we can replicate the counter-terrorism triumphs of the NIA. The time for ad-hoc measures is over; a coordinated, tech-savvy, and ruthless approach is the need of the hour. Let’s pledge to make India drug-free before another generation is lost to this scourge.
(The author is a senior police officer specializing in investigation)
The post A call for Specialized Agencies on the lines of NIA appeared first on Daily Excelsior.