Narco Terrorism is of a grave concern globally. When drugs and terror intertwine, this clandestine network thrives, giving fillip to violence & destabilizing the social fabric of the society.
What this session covered
The second instalment of NISSMAT's series on narco-terrorism took the form of a podcast in which a host put questions to two speakers. The discussion opened with the challenges confronting law enforcement agencies: operations that span national borders and multiple legal jurisdictions, corruption penetrating both enforcement agencies and wider society, the adaptability of trafficking networks, gaps in intelligence sharing, and the difficulty of policing rugged, porous border terrain. Narcotics networks were described as multinational enterprises in which cultivation, processing, transport and distribution take place in different countries, and the speakers outlined the tactics such networks employ — shifting trafficking routes, changing means of communication, restructuring when under surveillance, and exploiting encrypted communications, the dark web and drones. One speaker argued that Indian enforcement agencies had upgraded their own technology to a great extent in recent years, citing action against drones.
The conversation then turned to intelligence coordination and the role of the media. The speakers discussed the need for information to flow both vertically and horizontally among the many agencies working against narco-terrorism, with one speaker observing that rivalry over credit can prevent intelligence gathered by one agency from being passed to another. On the media, one speaker set out a wide-ranging role: informative reporting on the links between drug trafficking and terrorism, interviews with experts and law enforcement officials, human-interest accounts of those affected by addiction, examination of root causes, fact-checking, collaboration with educational institutions, and ethical reporting that resists sensationalism.
The closing section addressed international cooperation and the outlook for India. Points raised included intelligence exchange with neighbouring countries, joint forces at transshipment points, extradition arrangements, and close watch on money laundering through hawala channels. Looking ahead, one speaker called for more targeted, intelligence-driven operations, strengthened border controls, capacity building, regional initiatives and attention to socio-economic root causes, while arguing that international and bilateral treaties contain lacunae and that Interpol red corner notices carry no binding legal force, so treaties need punitive provisions to be effective. The use of drones and tunnels on the western border, and the openness of the north-eastern borders to flows from the Golden Triangle, were also discussed.
Key points raised
- The speakers identified cross-border jurisdiction, corruption, the adaptability of trafficking networks and weak intelligence sharing as the principal challenges facing law enforcement agencies.
- Narco-trafficking was described as a multinational enterprise, with cultivation, processing, transport and distribution spread across different countries.
- One speaker argued that Indian agencies' counter-technology, including action against drones, has been upgraded to a great extent in recent years.
- The media was assigned a wide-ranging role in raising public awareness — informative and ethical reporting, expert interviews, human stories and fact-checking, while avoiding sensationalism.
- One speaker argued that international and bilateral treaties contain lacunae and that Interpol red corner notices lack binding legal force, calling for punitive provisions to make them effective.
- Future priorities discussed for India included targeted intelligence-driven operations, stronger border controls, capacity building, regional cooperation and addressing socio-economic root causes.
