Security forces in India are zeroing in on a reawakened smuggling pathway ferrying drugs from Nepal to Sri Lanka across Indian territory. Hashish oil and charas are the prime cargoes revitalizing this once-quiet corridor, sparking multi-agency interventions.
A high-impact operation by NCB’s southern zonal offices in Chennai and Hyderabad yielded seizures worth 10 crore rupees, aligned with the national push for a drug-free Bharat. Sri Lanka’s escalating drug crisis has supercharged demand, transforming it into a magnet for global suppliers.
Geopolitically perched in the Indian Ocean, the nation doubles as a transit nexus for Afghan and Nepalese hauls sneaking through Pakistan and Iran. Traffickers leverage Tamil Nadu’s coastline—Thoothukudi and Kodikkarai—as drop zones, transferring loads to Sri Lankan boats at sea via intricate webs.
Veteran landing sites, previously opium hotspots bartered for beedi, now host modern consignments. Trincomalee, Galle, and Colombo anchor Sri Lanka’s drug inflows. The volume is staggering: from occasional busts to 35,000 in 2024, with meth joining the mix since 2019.
Onshore, Sri Lankan criminals, coastal communities, and gangs repack and disperse the goods domestically. Stricter Indo-Pak border vigilance has funneled traffic toward this Nepal route, per intel assessments.
Collaboration with regional partners is intensifying, bolstered by Coast Guard interceptions of Tamil fishing fleets. A Sri Lankan overlord orchestrates from afar, linking Afghan-Pakistani-Nepali cells to a Tamil Nadu relay for seamless maritime delivery.
Agencies view this as a persistent battle, systematically targeting operational chinks to cripple the syndicate’s expansion.