M-Cat, Crystal Meth abuse a growing concern for India: NCB report

NEW DELHI: Drug abuse and the illegal drug trade is still at alarming proportions in India despite a recorded drop in the total number of illicit drugs seized in the country, shows data from the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB). The introduction of drugs like methamphetamine (crystal meth) and Mephedrone (M-Cat/Meow-Meow) have pushed the demand for illicit drugs and increased trafficking incidents, according to the bureau’s latest annual report.

Amphetamine and methamphetamine, synthetic drugs created using man-made chemicals, have now begun to replace natural drugs like Opium and semi-synthetic drugs like Heroin that were long abused in India, according to the report.

At the same time, natural and semi-synthetic drugs still figure among the most abused and trafficked, with NCB having seized more than 94,000kgs of Ganja, more than 3,300kgs of Hashish and nearly 2,000kgs of Opium in 2015.

“Synthetic drugs like Amphetamine Type Stimulants (ATS) have become the drug of choice in South-East Asia and in North America. In India, several attempts have been made in the past to set up clandestine manufacturing facilities, especially in Maharashtra and Gujarat to produce ATS,” stated the report.

The emergence of Mephedrone, a psycho-active drug newly included in the NDPS Act’s list of psychotropic substances, has also added to fast-growing challenges for the country’s law enforcement, according to the report.

NCB seized close to 1,270kgs of mephedrone in 2015 alone, according to the report, greater even than the 30kgs methamphetamine and nearly 100kgs of Methaqualone (Mandrax) seized in the same year.

Mephedrone, which changes brain function and alter perception, mood, or consciousness, is considered dangerous and has reportedly led to gruesome incidents like that of a British teenager mutilating his genitals in 2014.

The abuse of pharmaceutical drugs, including codeine-based cough syrups, has also recently assumed “serious proportions”, according to NCB. In 2015, law enforcement agencies in the country seized a “sizeable” amount of pharmaceutical drugs like Alprazolam tablets, Zolpidem Tramadol tablets and Stidonafil tablets.

These drugs are mostly misused because they are easily available, stated the report, adding that people were also under the misconception that they were less harmful than hard drugs like Heroin and Cocaine.

The report also highlighted an increased trafficking of ‘dual-use’ precursor chemicals—often used to make medicines like cough syrups or even in textiles—from India to other countries.

“Despite strict controls and monitoring put in place for certain pharmaceutical products, there is evidence indicating their diversion for abuse,” stated the report.

According to NCB, a major problem with curbing abuse and the illicit drug trade in the country is the inability of inspectors from other agencies to effectively enforce drug laws. In order to ensure more teeth to the government in its fight against drug-related crimes, agencies as diverse as Customs, Central Excise and Revenue were empowered to carry out drug law enforcement.

"Field experiences very often show that the officers of the agencies whose primary functions do not include drug law enforcement are not well oriented and conversant with the laws, procedures and processes to be followed," the report stated, adding that this lack of awareness often resulted in poor investigation, improper and insufficient documentation and non-compliance of legal provisions. This would ultimately lead to failure of the prosecution case, it stated.

The report was released during the second BRICS anti-drug working group meeting of drug control agency heads here on July 8. During the meeting, participants deliberated on issues like the illegal cultivation of drugs, maritime drug trafficking and the illicit financial flows from drug proceeds before resolving to develop and enhance cooperation and collaboration against drug abuse and trafficking.

India also resolved to work with Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa to monitor current drug trends and trafficking routes, exchange information and enhance capacity building to prevent and counter illicit drug trade.