Amidst the probing of various drug seizure incidents within India, revelations unfold regarding the drug syndicate’s adoption of a novel modus operandi – trafficking narcotics via consignments of licorice roots (mulethi) or infusing drugs into said roots. “Indeed, a fresh operational method is being deployed by the drug syndicate. We have duly alerted all central and state-level intelligence bodies to exercise heightened vigilance in drug seizure-related matters,” disclosed a senior central intelligence official on Thursday.
Upon inquiry regarding the rationale behind employing licorice roots for drug trafficking, the official articulated that such a tactic may at times outwit enforcement agencies. “In a particular incident in Mumbai, our agencies intercepted a substantial consignment of 22 tonnes of licorice. Upon thorough inspection, it transpired that the licorice (mulethi) was enveloping Afghan heroin,” divulged Sunil Kumar Sinha, principal additional director general of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), to this correspondent.
In said instance, no less than 355 kg of Afghan heroin valued at Rs 20,000 crore was concealed within the licorice. Sinha remarked that drug traffickers perpetually endeavor to innovate new operational methods to circumvent law enforcement agencies.
Mulethi finds application in formulating herbal remedies for an array of health conditions, encompassing pulmonary, hepatic, circulatory, and renal ailments. Mulethi root is advocated as a dietary adjunct for maladies such as gastrointestinal issues, menopausal symptoms, respiratory disorders, as well as bacterial and viral infections.
Notably, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) apprehended one Tahseem, also known as Mota, a denizen of Shamli in Uttar Pradesh, in connection with the confiscation and seizure of 102.784 kgs of heroin valued at Rs 700 crore.
The contraband was confiscated by the customs department on two separate occasions in April 2022, subsequent to its illicit entry into India from Afghanistan via ICP Attari in Amritsar. Concealment was effected within a consignment of licorice roots.
“In both instances, the drugs and narcotics originated from Afghanistan, with the drug traffickers resorting to the same modus operandi of employing licorice roots,” elucidated the official, further remarking, “In light of the concerted measures undertaken by Indian law enforcement agencies, the drug syndicate is venturing into new avenues for drug trafficking.”
The most recent report from the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) highlights that a significant portion of the heroin detected in South Asia in recent years predominantly emanates from Southwest Asia, having been derived from opium cultivated in Afghanistan.
As per the report, the annual seizure rate of heroin in South Asia, via the southern route, has escalated to the extent that the cumulative quantities of heroin and morphine originating in Afghanistan, seized along said route, now surpass those intercepted along the northern route, primarily catering to markets in the Russian Federation via Central Asia.
Within South Asia, methamphetamine produced in Afghanistan permeates into both India and Sri Lanka. “The majority of amphetamine-type stimulant users in India are concentrated in the country’s western regions, whereas methamphetamine usage prevalence is highest in its eastern regions bordering Myanmar. India is increasingly vulnerable to the proliferation of methamphetamine trafficking from both South-West and South-East Asia (predominantly originating in Myanmar), posing a significant risk of exacerbating the availability and consumption of said drugs within the country,” asserted the INCB report.