NEW DELHI: Seeking a unified, global approach in the fight against narcotics and narco-terror, Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday stated that India has formulated a comprehensive roadmap to dismantle drug cartels and achieve a drug-free status by 2047. The goal is to ensure that not a single gram of drugs can enter the country or transit through its land or sea borders.
Strategic Goal to Demolish Drug Syndicates
“The strategic goal of demolishing drug syndicates has been set. India aims for a completely drug-free ecosystem by 2047; a concrete roadmap for this has been prepared with all the stakeholder ministries on board,” Shah said while delivering the R N Kao Memorial lecture organized by the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW). The lecture, held annually since 2007 in honor of Kao, the founder of RAW, was themed ‘Narcotics: A borderless threat, a collective responsibility’ this year.
Appeal for Global Synergy
Addressing diplomats from 40 countries in the audience, Shah urged them to convey the message of a synergized approach for a drug-free world to their respective governments. He emphasized that nations must adopt a unified legal framework to tackle the narcotics menace, focusing on a common definition of controlled substances and similar penalties. Additionally, he called for active sharing of leads on the movement of narcotics consignments and close cooperation to extradite drug kingpins and bring them to justice.
“If this is not done, the narcotics and narco-terror problem may grow out of control in the next 10 years,” the minister warned. He advocated for balancing a ruthless approach against narcotics trade and drug cartels with a humane approach towards victims of substance abuse.
Drug Trafficking as a Societal Threat
The Union home minister highlighted that drug trafficking is not merely a law and order issue to be handled by police or anti-narcotics agencies but a problem with long-lasting impacts on society and future generations. Noting that drug proceeds often fund narco-terror, organized crime, and insurgencies across geographies, Shah stressed that the battle against drugs must transcend geopolitical differences and individual national interests.
“The world must simultaneously fight both narco networks and narco-terror states,” he asserted.
Extradition of Transnational Criminals
Shah shared that India, in the past two years, has brought back more than 40 transnational criminals with the support of friendly countries. He called for all responsible nations to reach a consensus that the war on drugs is critical to national security, protecting public health, and preventing narco-states from becoming alternative power centers.
“There is a need for all responsible countries to reach a consensus that the war on drugs is critical to national security, protecting public health and preventing narco-states from becoming alternative power centres,” said the home minister.
