Indian Ocean is teeming with drug trade routes: Here’s how India’s tackling them

The Coast Guard takes the lead in enforcing law within India’s territorial waters. The Indian Navy covers a broader region, addressing crimes on the high seas where traffickers often exploit jurisdictional gaps

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Drugs like heroin, methamphetamines, and hashish are trafficked via Indian Ocean routes. AFP

The Indian Coast Guard has been making headlines for the past few days, and for good reason.

The service registered a major milestone earlier this week after it intercepted a Myanmarese fishing vessel.

The ship, stopped near the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, was carrying nearly 6,000 kilograms of methamphetamine. The narcotics were valued at a whopping Rs 36,000 crore.

It marked the largest-ever maritime drug seizure in India’s domain.

The report of this landmark drug bust brings to the forefront the pressing issue of international drug trafficking via the Indian Ocean.

We take a look at the routes used for drug trade in the Indian Ocean region, and what India is doing to stem the menace plaguing its backyard.

The Golden Crescent and Indian Ocean drug trade

The Indian Ocean serves as a crucial maritime corridor for global trade. However, its commercial importance and vastness has made it a convenient route for organised criminal networks, particularly those involved in drug smuggling.

According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, drug production affecting the Indian Ocean originates primarily in the “Golden Crescent” and the “Golden Triangle.” These areas fuel a multi-billion-dollar illicit trade. Through the Indian Ocean, smugglers connect producers to markets across the globe.

The Golden Crescent is of particular interest here. This region, comprising Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan, is one of the oldest source of illicit opium in the world.

Opiates leave this region through three routes: the Balkan, northern and southern routes.

The first two are primarily land routes that transfer drugs to Europe and Russia, respectively.

The complicated southern route runs through the Indian Ocean.

After departing the Makran Coast (Iran and Pakistan), drug shipments split into western and eastern branches. The western route leads toward East Africa (to countries like Kenya and Tanzania), Mozambique, and Yemen.

This branch further gets bifurcated into many sub-branches that lead to South Africa, West Africa and the US, after crossing the Atlantic.

The eastern branch supplies narcotics to India, Sri Lanka, and Southeast Asia.

These operations not only ruin millions of life the globe over, but also fund transnational criminal organisations and terrorist groups.

The Indian Ocean drug trade poses significant security risks for the region.

What’s India doing?

For India, this problem is particularly pressing due to the strategic importance of its maritime domain and the impact of trafficking networks on regional stability.

Information fusion centres: The need to secure the Indian Ocean against maritime crime has resulted in the establishment of three information fusion centers located in Singapore, Madagascar, and India, as well as regional coordination centers that enhance maritime domain awareness, according to Carnegie Endowment.

These centers serve as regional hubs, gathering maritime data from various sources to create a comprehensive picture of activities at sea. This information is essential for identifying maritime crimes, particularly those occurring on the high seas and beyond the national jurisdiction of Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs).

Indian Coast Guard and Indian Navy have had a crucial role to play in countering this threat.

The Coast Guard’s role: The Coast Guard, empowered by under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, takes the lead in enforcing law within India’s territorial waters.

It has several memorandums of understanding on combating transnational crime and illegal activities at sea with foreign coast guards or equivalent authorities. Additionally, it shares intelligence and information on drug trafficking with countries like Sri Lanka.

Operations such as the recent record drug bust are the result of the ICG’s efforts.

Indian Navy’s efforts: The Indian Navy covers a much broader region. It addresses crimes on the high seas where traffickers often exploit jurisdictional gaps.

In February this year, the Indian Navy, in collaboration with the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), seized around 3,300 kg of drugs from a ship near Gujarat’s Porbandar.

Beyond domestic cooperation, the Indian Navy also partners up with forces from other countries.

Coalitions such as the 46-nation Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) have enhanced India’s capacity to address transnational threats.

These partnerships facilitate information-sharing and strengthen operational readiness to intercept traffickers who adapt their methods to evade detection.

In April 2024, INS Talwar seized 940 kg of drugs in the Arabian Sea. It was the Indian Navy’s first interdiction of illicit narcotics as a member of the CMF. The drug bust was a part of the joint operation, “Crimson Barracuda.”

The Indian Navy’s capabilities are bolstered by advancements in technology and intelligence-sharing.

Surveillance assets such as UAVs, Dornier aircraft, and long-range maritime patrol planes monitor vast areas of the ocean, enabling rapid identification of suspicious vessels.

Forward-deployed warships enhance the response time, while regional information fusion centers located in India, Singapore, and Madagascar provide critical maritime domain awareness.

The recent seizure in the Andaman Sea serves as a reminder of both the progress made and the work that lies ahead.