NARCO-TERRORISM AND

DRUG RELATED ORGANISED CRIMES

Dr. Ish Kumar, IPS

Deputy Director General

Narcotics Control Bureau

06/11/08

According to UNODC Executive Director A.M.Costa ( UN Press release on 1/10/2004 ) – “It has become more and more difficult to distinguish clearly between terrorist groups & organised crime units, since their tactics increasingly overlap. The world is seeing the birth of a new hybrid of “organised crime – terrorist organisations”, and it is imperative to sever the connection between crime, drugs and terrorism now.”

International Drug Trafficking and Terrorism – A Dangerous Mix – Statement by Deborah McCarthy, Assistant Secretary for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, DEA, on May 20, 2003.

Drug Money in Afghanistan is being spent for terrorism in Pakistan :President Zardari on Pakistan News on October 19, 2008

“The Continuing Drug War could make Nuclear Terrorism a reality” -- Prof. Hemp’s article in “New Age Patriot” in 1995

On 9th August 2001, Justice Eshwar Prasad, Chairman, Appellate Tribunal for Forfeited Property stated the following:

“ the situation is ‘Alarming’, because of Narco-terrorism in the country. The involvement of money is estimated to be one-third of the country’s gross domestic product ”.

“Drug money supports terror”. “Where do terrorists get their money?” “If you buy drugs, some of it might come from you” ;

Office of U.S. National Drug Control Policy.

DRUG ECONOMY

❖Present size of the global illicit drug market is around US $ 500 Billion. The value, at retail prices, is higher than the GDP of 88% of the countries in the world

❖The trade in illicit drugs accounts for 8% of all international trade

❖Drug trade is larger than Steel, Automobile or Oil trade -- INTERPOL.

NARCO-TERRORISM

➢The concept of "narcoterrorism" was introduced in 1983 by the Peruvian President Belaunde Terry to designate terrorist-like attacks against his country's drug enforcement police.

➢It either refers to terrorist acts carried out by groups that are directly or indirectly involved in cultivating, manufacturing, transporting, or distributing illicit drugs. !

OR!➢To groups that use the drug trade to fund

terrorism.!

Narcoterrorism - There are four types of operators: Criminal organizations of the mafia or syndicates (e.g. Medellin and Cali cocaine cartels of Columbia). Pablo Escobar as leader of the Medellin cocaine cartel in Colombia, caused numerous assassinations of politicians, presidential candidates, Supreme Court justices, police officers, and civilians, as well as a number of bombings. ( more than 1600 killed)

Armed movements consist of both religiously- and politically-motivated organizations and paramilitary groups. !➢Al-Qaeda: trade in opium and heroin !

➢Tamil Liberation Front (LTTE- "The Tigers") in Sri Lanka: heroin & cannabis !

➢PKK (Kurdistan workers party) in Turkey indulges in trafficking of drugs from the Golden Crescent to Europe !

➢Palestinian Islamic Jihad: trade in hashish and heroin !

➢Revolutionary Armed Forces in Colombia (FARC): trade, and taxation and protection of Colombian cocaine cartels

State governments and their intelligence and security services can be involved in the drug trade for both political and commercial reasons. ➢ In Nicaragua, both the Sandinista regime and Contras were involved in the drug trade. ➢General Manuel Noriega in Panama in the 1980s was one of the world's leading "drug barons". ➢Pakistan. ➢North Korea

Narcostate is a concept, which has been used to describe countries (or regions), where the operators of the drug trade through their economic, political, and paramilitary strength influence the exercise of power by the central g o v e r n m e n t . e . g . i n C o l o m b i a , Afghanistan and Burma.

Drug Money – How Used

Procurement of Arms & Ammunition Bribing – politician, judiciary, govt officials Transportation & Communication Equipment False travel documents Safe Houses Payroll

➢ increased drug production ➢ wide spread abuse of drugs ➢ serious drug-related crime ➢ threats to the rule of law & public security ➢ impaired public health ➢ money laundering ➢ infiltration of the legal economy ➢ financing of terrorism ➢ diplomatic issues & bilateral relations

IMPACT OF NARCO-TERRORISM

AFGHANISTAN AND THE TALIBAN !

!➢In 2007, Afghanistan has reportedly produced more than 92 % of the world's supply of illicit opium,( 8200 metric tons). It can produce 820 metric tons of Heroin !!

➢Through the taxation of illicit opium production, the Taliban were able to fund the infrastructure for Osama bin Laden and the Al-Qaida organization ( 9/11 attack on WTC in New York). !

➢The estimated income of al-Qaida is around 2.4 billion US $.

JAMMU & KASHMIR (INDIA) !

➢Pakistan’s involvement in Narco-Terrorism dates back to the era of Soviet intervention in Afghanistan. !

➢President Zia’s involvement in narcotics trade towards funding the Kashmir ‘Jehad’ which continued even after his death. !

➢Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s statement to Washington Post (1994)– that DG of ISI had sought official permission from him in 1991 to fund “covert military operation” by drug trafficking.

Sr. No.

Date Place Seizing Agency

Drug Seized & Persons Arrested

Arms & Ammunition Seized

1. 02/08/1987 Punjab BSF & Punjab Police

20 Kg. Heroin 2 Indians

45 imported revolvers 9 live rounds

2. 23/04/1988 Punjab Punjab Police

104 Kg. Heroin 4 AK-47 RifflesThomson Machine Gun, 1 SLR, 4 Revolver, 3 Pistol, 6 Magazine of AK -47

3. 29/09/1995 Punjab ------- 52 Kg. Heroin 1Pakistani & 1 Indian

9 Pistols

4. 30/07/1997 Punjab Punjab Police

36 Kg. Heroin 1Pakistani & 4 Indians

36 Kg. RDX Arms.

CASES OF DRUGS & ARMS/EXPLOSIVE SEIZURES (INDIA)

Sr. No.

Date Place Seizing Agency

Drug Seized & Persons Arrested

Arms & Ammunition Seized

5. 24/07/2000 Punjab CBI 6.325 Kg. Heroin, 4 Indians

25 Pistol, 50 Magazines & 200 rounds

6. 10/2000 Delhi, J&K & Punjab

------- 30 Kg. heroin 8 Pakistani & 11 Indians

38 Kg. RDX, 3 AK-47 rifles, live bombs, timer pencils, pressure champs

7. 03/02/2001 Punjab ------- 10 Kg. Heroin, 1 Indian

1 packets of PETN, 1 Packet of RDX, ABCD Timers, detonators.

8. Feb/2001 Punjab CBI 80 Kg. Heroin 1 Indian

12 Kg. RDX

Sr. No.

Date Place Seizing Agency

Drug Seized & Persons Arrested

Arms & Ammunition Seized

9. 28/03/2006 Punjab NCB 19 Kg. Heroin 1Pakistani & 1 Indian

1 Pakistan made pistol with 2 magazine & 16 rounds

10. 21/04/2007 Punjab DRI 7.92Kg. Heroin 1 Person

2 Pistols

11. 23/07/2007 Rajasthan

BSF 5 Kg. Heroin 2 Pistols, 4 empty magazines

12. 06/08/2008 Punjab NCB & BSF

10 Kg. Heroin 1 Chinese Pistol, 5 live rounds

NAXALS/LEFT WING EXTREMISM !➢Protection money by Maoists from cultivators in Bihar, Jharkhand & West Bengal. !➢Maoist gangs in the district of Murshidabad, West Bengal are appointing middlemen to negotiate with the villagers to take the land on lease for opium cultivation. !

➢Nepal Maoists were smuggling heroin and hashish to obtain sophisticated weapons. (?)

DAWOOD IBRAHIM !•In 2003, the United States Government declared Dawood Ibrahim a "Global Terrorist. •Involved in largescale shipment of narcotics in the United Kingdom and Western Europe. •Suspected to have connections with terrorist organisations such as AL Quaida and Lashkar-e-Toiba. •His organisation carries out billions of dollars worth 'hawala' transactions. !MOHAMMED IQBAL MEMON AKA IQBAL (MIRCHI) !UAE based Iqbal Mirchi of India is among top 10 international drug traffickers whom President George W. Bush has named as "kingpins".

NORTH EAST (INDIA)

Militants in N-East using drug money to buy arms : Indo Asian News Service, April 29, 2008

! --- Ethnic separatist groups like NSCN, ULFA,

PLA and Kuki National Army in India’s northeast are protecting drug mafias to raise funds, have taken to the drug trade, as seizures from their camps in recent months indicate.

ORGANISED CRIMES(INTERNATIONAL)

1. Drug trafficking !

2. Trafficking in human beings (especially women & children) !

3. Trafficking in firearms !

4. Smuggling of migrants !

5. Money laundering !

6. Trafficking of nuclear material & waste !

7. Trafficking of human organs !

8. Trafficking of works of Art !

9. Trafficking of Endangered Species !

--- All crimes are not drug related but drug money funds many.

ORGANISED CRIMES(INDIA)

In addition to the above, there are: !➢ Contract killings ➢ Extortions ➢ Kidnappings for ransom ➢ Settlement of business disputes & due

recoveries ➢ Smuggling ➢ Financing of real estates / bollywood movies etc

A. Similarities

Both operate secretly and usually from an underground network.

!Both use similar tactics: intimidation, bribery, m o n e y l a u n d e r i n g , k i d n a p p i n g s , assassinations, extortion (“protection money”, “revolutionary taxes”)

!Both use front organisations, such as legitimate businesses or charities. !

Similarities & Differences between Terrorist & Organized Crime Groups

B. Differences !

Terrorist groups are usually ideologically or politically motivated while organised crime groups are profit oriented !Terrorist groups often compete with governments for legitimacy, organised crime groups do not !Terrorists groups seek media attention, organised crime groups do not !Terrorist victimisation is generally less discriminate

Countermeasures against Narco-Terrorism/Drug related organised crimes !!➢ Administrative measures to limit and control production and distribution of drugs. (INCB regime) !➢ Demand Reduction & Supply Reduction : !▪ Opinion moulding (e.g. on the theme that drug abuse is feeding terrorism) ▪ Counseling and treatment for drug abusers ▪ Drug enforcement at the "street level". ▪ Alternative Development !➢Counterterrorist measures aimed at breaking terrorist organizations.

!❑ International Legal Framework : !▪ UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 1961 as amended by 1972 protocol !▪ UN convention on Psychotropic Substances, 1971 !▪ The Convention against illicit trafficking of narcotic Drug and Psychotropic Substances, 1988 !▪SAARC Convention on Narcotic Drugs & Psychotropic Substances,1990

contd…

▪ International Convention for the suppression of the Financing of Terrorism, 1999. !

▪ UN Convention against Transnational Organised Crime ( Palermo Convention, 2000) – protocol- I, II, III.

!!The above mentioned legislations enable

member countries to sign, ratify and legislate domestically for initiating action against drug trafficking & other organised crimes

INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION ADHERENCE

COUNTRY BGD BHU IND MDV NEP SRL PAK AFG

DRUG CONVENTIONSSingle Convention on Narcotic Drugs,1961

Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

Convention on Psychotropic Substances, 1971

Y Y Y Y N Y Y Y

Convention against the illicit traffic in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, 1988

Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

COUNTRY BGD BHU IND MDV NEP SRL PAK AFG

CRIME CONVENTION

T r a n s n a t i o n a l Organized Crimes,2000

N N Y N Y Y NA NA

TERRORISM CONVENTION

I n t e r n a t i o n a l Convention for the Suppression of the F i n a n c i n g o f Terrorism,1999

N Y Y Y N Y NA NA

Indian Legal Framework: !

▪ NDPS Act,1985, Customs Act,1962, Money Laundering Act, 2002

▪ Specialized Investigating Agencies like FIU, ED, DRI, NCB, CBI

➢Action against money laundering, by

tracking and freezing of payments, assets etc under the above mentioned Acts (financial investigation)

➢Co-ordination between various agencies

International cooperation

International bilateral cooperation through mechanisms l ike JWG’S, MoU/Bi lateral Agreements, Agency level engagements . Multilateral forums like HONLEA, BIMSTEC, SAARC/SDOMD Exchange of operational intelligence through the designated focal points Controlled Delivery Cooperation in investigation/trial (MLAT) Extradition Capacity building.

THANK YOU