India is one of the major hubs for illicit drug trade
From age-old cannabis to newer synthetic opioids like tramadol, and designer drugs like methamphetamine, India is one of the major hubs for the illicit drug trade, said the 2018 annual report by United Nations-backed International Narcotics Control Board (INCB). India alone accounted for six percent of the world’s cannabis herb (ganja) seizures in 2016 (nearly 300 tonnes), and reported seizing even higher quantities in 2017 (353 tonnes) — a 20 percent increase compared to 2016, the report by UN Office of Drugs and Crime said. The report further says that the global trend of purchasing drugs over the Internet, particularly on ‘darknet’ trading platforms using cryptocurrencies has already spread across South Asia, including India. In 2017, authorities in India dismantled two illicit pharmacies selling drugs over the Internet, seizing close to 1,30,000 tablets containing psychotropic substances and arresting 15 people in the process.
