New Delhi: Being aware of the fact that maritime routes becoming an easy route to transport contraband, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is exploring all possibilities to install electronic scanners for containers in a bid to check such illicit business.
A senior official in the Home Ministry told ETV Bharat on Friday that the Ministry has written to the secretary in the Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways to examine the feasibility of the installation of electronic scanning devices at vulnerable and sensitive ports.
"The ministry is taking up the issue on a priority basis so that such scanners can be installed at ports at the earliest and check all incoming and outgoing shipment for contraband," the official said on condition of anonymity.
Government statistics revealed that illicit drugs worth Rs 27,000 crore have been seized by Indian law enforcing agencies since 2017-21 at different seaports where people involved in this business have been using maritime routes to supply their shipments.
The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) alone seized heroin worth Rs 1274 crore at seaports in 2021 and arrested 12 foreigners in this connection. The agency also seized 1017 kg of heroin worth Rs 2034 crore and arrested 13 Indians in this connection in 2017 whereas in the same year, 426 kg of morphine worth Rs 426 crore was seized at seaports.
In 2019, drugs of different qualities have been seized by NCB in different seaports worth Rs 1,137.4 crore besides arresting 12 foreigners. In 2020, NCB seized 114.325 kg of drugs worth Rs 206.66 crore from sea ports and arrested 7 foreigners.
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It was in September 2021, the biggest-ever heroin consignment worth Rs 21,000 crore was intercepted by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) from Mundra port in Gujarat. Investigation disclosed that the consignment of 3,000 kg was coming from Kandahar via Iran's Bandar Abbas port.
According to NCB's annual report, 70 per cent of illegal drugs in India are now being sent through sea routes. Most of such seizures are sourced from the ports of Afghanistan and Iran. On many occasions, such drugs are in transit to countries like Sri Lanka and Maldives.
The Home Ministry official said that in order to ensure an in-depth investigation and for tracking and breaking the entire supply chain, all the States have been requested to identify significant Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) cases to hand over to NCB.
"At least 27 cases out of a total of 48 identified significant NDPS cases having interstate/international ramifications have already been taken over by NCB," the official said. Government reports suggest that the trafficking and consumption of narcotic substances have been increasing in recent years.
Apart from installing scanning machines for checking containers at seaports, the Home Ministry has also asked the NCB to identify locations to install movable vehicle scanners at international borders and inland locations.
"The NCB has identified a few locations where such vehicle scanners can be installed," the official said. Different locations along the India-Bangladesh and India-Myanmar border have been identified to install such vehicle scanners, the official said.
The NCB is also in constant touch with the law enforcement agencies of Myanmar, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka and exchanges real-time information on illicit drug business.
