Myanmar Drug Cartels Exploit Northeast Unrest, Challenge India's Anti-Narcotics Efforts

NEW DELHI: The fight against narcotics smuggling remains an ongoing challenge, with new threats emerging for Indian agencies with each passing day. Drug cartels operating from Pakistan have come under sustained pressure as the Narendra Modi government at the Centre steps up its efforts to make India drug-free.

However, agencies say that despite significant success in dismantling networks linked to operators such as Dawood Ibrahim and Haji Salim, the northeastern states remain a major challenge. The region's porous borders and difficult terrain continue to provide opportunities for drug traffickers and their networks.

An official said that India's border with Myanmar is the biggest challenge. The ban on the cultivation of opium in Afghanistan by the Taliban regime opened the doors for the cartels operating in Myanmar.

"Today Myanmar reportedly produces the largest quantity of opium in the world. Statistics show that in the year 2025, the cultivation area of opium rose to 53,100 hectares," the official said. The Indian agencies like the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and the Assam Rifles continue to work closely, and this has led to major drug busts in the last two to three years.

However, narcotics continue to enter India in large quantities. The cultivation of opium in Myanmar remains a challenge beyond India's direct control. India and Myanmar have held several rounds of talks on the issue and agreed to work together to combat the menace.

Officials, however, say tackling the problem will take time, given the enormous scale at which drug cartels operate in Myanmar.

Another official said Myanmar's drug cartels are vast and have access to enormous financial resources.

"There is a strong possibility that the combined wealth of these cartels could be significantly greater than that of a government," the official said.

This adds to the challenge for Indian agencies. Even when agencies succeed in busting multiple consignments linked to these cartels, the networks can quickly regroup and establish new supply chains, officials said. Their vast financial resources allow them to absorb losses and continue operations with relative ease.

An Intelligence Bureau official said the cartels have repeatedly sought to exploit conflicts and unrest in the northeastern states, particularly Manipur.

According to the official, such situations provide drug networks with opportunities to expand their operations and strengthen their presence in the region.

On many occasions, investigations have revealed that these cartels have hired their cronies in these states to rake up sensitive issues deliberately so that violence breaks out. The scale of the violence is also huge and runs into several days or even months.

This keeps the security agencies completely focused on the violence and how to curb it. The cartels take advantage of this situation and move their consignments into the northeast in large numbers, the official said. (IANS)

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