Govt takes steps to check drug trafficking

New Delhi, July 26 (UNI) The Government has taken a number of steps to check smuggling/trafficking of narcotics drugs within the country and across the borders, the Rajya Sabha was informed today.

Minister of State for Home S Regupathy said in a written reply in the house the steps include strict surveillance and enforcement at import and export points, land borders, airports, foreign post offices , intensive preventive and interdiction efforts along known drug routes, improved coordination between the various drug law enforcement agencies in order to impart greater cohesion to interdiction.

Moreover, international liaison are being strengthened to improve the collection, analysis and dissemination of operational intelligence. International cooperation for exchange of information and investigative assistance in administering control over the movement of precursor chemicals is being increased.

Building of an electronic data base of offenders, conducting training programmes for law enforcement officials for upgrading their skills to combat drug trafficking and implementing a scheme of monetary rewards to informants and officers for providing information leading to seizures of narcotic drugs is also being done.

The various measures taken by the Government to curb drug trafficking have resulted in better coordination, exchange of information among the concerned enforcement agencies and in taking continuous drug interdiction efforts, he added.

Intelligence inputs received and seizures effected indicate trafficking of South-West Asian heroin into India from across the Pakistan Border. However, no significant trafficking of drugs from Bangladesh has been reported. The West -African nationals, mainly Nigerians, have been found involved in drug trafficking in and out of the country.

UNI AJ LS PC1738