Page 45 - DRI ANNUAL REPORT EBOOK

Convention on Psychotropic Substances and the 1988 Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances.
For giving effect to these treaties, Parliament enacted the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 (NDPS Act), which came into force on 14th November 1985. NDPS Act ensures that India fulfils its obligations under the three UN Drug Conventions and objectives underlined in Article 47 of the Constitution of India. NDPS Act prohibits, except for medical or scientific purposes, the manufacture, production, trade, use, etc. of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. The rules and schedules of the NDPS Act, 1985 are constantly being updated to keep it in tune with the innovations and developments in the field of drugs and psychotropic substances, including the challenges in drug law enforcement. Thus India has a robust legal framework to tackle the drug menace.
India has adopted the policy of empowering multiple agencies to enforce the NDPS Act, namely Customs, DRI, Police, Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Central Bureau of Investigation and Central Bureau of Narcotics (CBN), amongst others. Recently, National Investigation Agency (NIA) has also been empowered under the NDPS Act.
A Narcotics Coordination Centre (N-CORD) was set up in 2016 for coordination for effective Drug Law Enforcement among various Central and State Agencies. In order to synergise the efforts of all the stakeholders, the NCORD system has been restructured into 4 tiers up to district level on 29 July, 2019 for better coordination and cooperation. Further, Vide Order issued under F.No. I-12023/21/2019-NCB-II dated 19.07.2019, Ministry of Home Affairs has constituted a Joint Coordination Committee to monitor the investigation of large drug seizure cases.
Central Bureau of Narcotics (CBN) under the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance is mandated to supervise licit cultivation of opium poppy for medicinal use. The CBN also issues licenses for the licit manufacture and export of synthetic narcotic drugs and is the Competent National Authority in respect of NDPS substances being exported out of India as per the international regime of prior informed consent, implemented by International Narcotics control Board.
Being the apex anti-smuggling agency, DRI coordinates with various national and international enforcement agencies as a part of its law enforcement efforts against smuggling of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.
TRENDS
While drug trafficking has engulfed all the parts of India, so are the efforts of officers of DRI to thwart such activities happening anywhere in India, even at the risk to their lives.
In April 2019, when the whole Manipur was in deep sleep, at around 2.00 am, a dedicated team of DRI officers was deployed in a dense forest to nab the drug smugglers. Fully aware of the repercussions of any mistake, the officers with their wit and commitment and with active support of Assam Rifles, were on a daredevil drug enforcement operation as the forest area was under the clutches of extremists. In the darkness they spotted two groups of people with shoulder loads walking within sufficient distance. The mission was planned in such a manner that both the groups of smugglers were covered by the officers and at an appropriate moment, and after ensuring that it was indeed the target they were looking for, officers intercepted all 7 persons of both groups and seized from them around 1 lakh tablets of Methamphetamine which are commonly known as YaBa tablets.
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