KOCHI: Stricter inspections and crackdowns have been unable to put a lid on drug trade in the city. Right now, it is the ‘Bangladesh links’ of the city’s drug mafia that is giving Excise department officials a headache.
The recent arrests of several migrant workers—said to be from West Bengal’s Murshidabad district which shares its border with Bangladesh—in drug-related cases has revealed that the persons are, in fact, illegal immigrants from Bangladesh who act as ‘cross-border drug carriers’.
Since this poses a threat to national security, the Excise officials have shared their findings with Central agencies and the police.The arrest of immigrant Imdadul Biswas from Aluva last month with heroin costing lakhs of rupees shed light on the shocking drug trafficking active along the Indo-Bangladesh border.
The officials said there is an entire village of illegal migrants in Murshidabad who act as drug carriers. However, it is a tough task to infiltrate the place, considered a stronghold of drug mafia, they said.Besides sharing its border with Bangladesh, Murshidabad is also home to Jalangi and Raninagar located on the banks of the Padma, the river that separates India and Bangladesh.
The information gathered by authorities reveals that illegal migrants from Bangladesh enter West Bengal disguised as cattle grazers. They smuggle the drugs into the country by concealing it on the body of the cattle, mainly buffaloes. Since buffaloes can swim well, the smugglers cross the Padma with the drugs on the animals’ backs.
“We have informed the police and other agencies about the cross-border drug smuggling. We have also stepped up inspections in Aluva, the main transit point of drugs by migrant workers. Due to this, drug trafficking via the route has reduced,” said deputy commissioner (Excise) AS Ranjith.