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| Drug syndicates turn to WhatsApp, Telegram, Zangi for smuggling | | |  Mahim Gupta
Early Times Report
Jammu, Aug 5: The Union Government has acknowledged that organised drug trafficking syndicates are increasingly using encrypted messaging applications and social media platforms, including WhatsApp, Telegram, Snapchat, Zangi and Signal, to coordinate the procurement, transportation, concealment and distribution of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances across the country.
The revelation was made by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in the Rajya Sabha in response to an unstarred question on whether criminal and terror networks were using digital platforms for arms and narcotics smuggling.
Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai informed the House that investigations conducted by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) have revealed multiple instances of drug traffickers exploiting digital communication platforms to facilitate organised narcotics smuggling.
He said the use of encrypted messaging applications and social media platforms has emerged as a significant challenge for law enforcement agencies as traffickers increasingly rely on technology to coordinate various stages of the illegal drug trade.
To counter technology-enabled drug trafficking and related criminal activities, the Government has initiated several measures through the Narcotics Control Bureau.
The Minister said the NCB has engaged cyber experts to strengthen its capability to investigate darknet-enabled drug trafficking and cryptocurrency-based financial transactions linked to narcotics networks.
He further informed that the Government is regularly conducting specialised capacity-building programmes in collaboration with the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (US-DEA) and the Rashtriya Raksha University (RRU), Gandhinagar, to enhance the capabilities of officers of the NCB and other Drug Law Enforcement Agencies (DLEAs).
These training programmes focus on cyber-enabled narcotics investigations, digital forensics, darknet monitoring, cryptocurrency investigations, and other aspects of technology-driven drug trafficking.
The Government said these initiatives are aimed at equipping enforcement agencies with advanced technological skills to tackle the evolving methods adopted by organised drug syndicates and transnational criminal networks. |
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