New Delhi, March 3: Investigations into several drug cases in India, especially in the South, are increasingly being linked to cartels based in Thailand. While Thailand itself is a major market in terms of consumption, there are various cartels that are operating in India.
Investigators have learned that Thai cartels have a significant presence in various parts of India. However, their operations in South India have increased over the past couple of years.
The agencies have also learned that the cartels are not necessarily run by locals. In many cases, it has been found that the operations from Thailand are being handled directly by Indians.
The Narcotics Control Wing of the Central Crime Branch (CCB), which falls under the jurisdiction of the Bengaluru Police, has busted a module after arresting two individuals involved in interstate drug trafficking.
The two individuals, identified as Ashwin and Mubeena, were found to be selling drugs in Karnataka, according to the police. LSD strips and charas were found on them, according to the police.
The two individuals from Kerala had been residing in Karnataka for a year and were organizing illegal drug distribution networks on the orders of their bosses based in Thailand.
The arrested individuals were in contact with a Thai-based operative and were receiving their supplies from him. After receiving the drugs, the duo would distribute them across the state, the preliminary investigation has also found.
An official said that a couple of years ago, the drug problem was at its peak in Punjab. However, the narcotics market has grown rapidly in Kerala over the past couple of years. In 2024 alone, there were over 27,700 cases registered in Kerala under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS). When comparing the number of cases registered in Punjab during the same period, the number in Kerala was three times higher.
While operatives based in Pakistan focus largely on the northern states, cartels from Mexico, China, and Thailand are operating more on the southern side of the country.
States like Tamil Nadu and Kerala have been a hot hub for smuggling drugs from countries such as Thailand. Drugs smuggled in from Mexico, with the help of Mexican and Myanmar nationals, contain methamphetamine. This substance has a high demand in the southern Indian states.
A large part of the consignment that lands in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands is moved to the southern states and then transported to the rest of the country and even to Myanmar.
From Thailand, the most commonly smuggled drugs are LSD, charas, and cocaine. Thai drug cartels have chosen Kerala as the main landing point for operations in India, as the state has a long coastline of 590 kilometers. This makes the state vulnerable to smuggling.
From Kerala, drugs that come from Thailand make their way into Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, an official said.
While the Thai cartels have captured the southern market, they have also been found operating in states such as Maharashtra to further their operations. These drug syndicates have been found to be operating in Pune.
The Pune Police had recently busted a module that was operating from Thailand and Bhutan. The syndicate was found to be involved in an international drug peddling network. Following the arrest of five individuals in connection with this case, it was found that these individuals were using the dark web and were making payments using the hawala network.
It was also found that these individuals had used cryptocurrency and the dark web to buy LSD and marijuana and bring them into India. It was found that the drugs were brought in from Thailand and then distributed in Pune, Assam, and Bhutan.
An Intelligence Bureau official said that the current Indian drug market is a crowded one. All these years, the agencies have been dealing with the Dawood Ibrahim syndicate. Today, there are many players and cartels in Thailand, which have Indian bosses too, and are becoming a major menace as they are trying to flood the markets with their contraband. The official added that the relevant agencies are working closely with their counterparts in the respective states to curb this menace.