Drug trafficking from the Golden Crescent poses an internal security threat that transcends law-and-order into dimensions of geopolitics and public health. Discuss the multi-pronged response needed.

Q. Drug trafficking from the Golden Crescent poses an internal security threat that transcends law-and-order into dimensions of geopolitics and public health. Discuss the multi-pronged response needed. (15 marks, 250-350 words)

Heroin originating in the Golden Crescent (Afghanistan–Pakistan–Iran) enters India largely overland through Punjab, making narcotics not merely a policing problem but a composite threat spanning border security, foreign policy and population health — and requiring an equally layered response.

Internal security dimension - Trafficking proceeds finance organised crime and narco-terror networks, with drones and cross-border tunnels emerging as delivery vectors [1]. - Enforcement selectivity blunts deterrence: in May 2026 the Supreme Court criticised Punjab for arresting only small peddlers while "bigger sharks" remain untouched, despite the State's near-89% NDPS conviction rate [4]. - Trade has migrated to darknet marketplaces and cryptocurrency, prompting a dedicated task force under the Multi Agency Centre [2].

Geopolitical dimension - Punjab's location on the Afghanistan–Pakistan supply corridor ties drug interdiction directly to border management; BSF, SSB, Assam Rifles and the Indian Coast Guard are empowered under the NDPS Act, 1985 for search, seizure and arrest [1]. - Source-country instability makes bilateral and UNODC-led cooperation indispensable, since domestic seizure alone cannot cut supply [1].

Public health dimension - Addiction concentrated among rural youth erodes the right to life with dignity under Article 21, feeding crime, indebtedness and family breakdown. - Treatment capacity is addressed through the NAPDDR (2018–25) and Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, running in 372 vulnerable districts via de-addiction and rehabilitation centres [3].

The multi-pronged response needed - Supply-side: target kingpins through financial investigation under PMLA and preventive detention under PITNDPS; strengthen institutional depth — NCB's Amritsar unit upgraded to a Zonal Unit [5], with a dedicated ANTF in each State [2]. - Coordination: make the 4-tier NCORD mechanism operationally effective from national to district level [1]. - Demand-side: integrate de-addiction with primary healthcare, school counselling and youth employment [3].

Sustained progress requires shifting the metric of success from arrest numbers to networks dismantled and addicts rehabilitated. A response combining hard interdiction, health-led demand reduction and regional diplomacy — consistent with SDG 3.5 — can convert episodic crackdowns into durable security.

(~330 words)

Sources: 1. PIB — Strengthening NDPS Act and Tackling Cross-Border Drug Trafficking — 4-tier NCORD, ANTF at ADG/IG level, border forces and Coast Guard empowered under NDPS Act 2. PIB — Seizure of Narcotics in Punjab — Punjab ANTF headed by Special DGP; darknet and cryptocurrency task force under Multi Agency Centre; PITNDPS advisory board 3. PIB — National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (NAPDDR) and Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan — demand-reduction plan; NMBA in 372 vulnerable districts; de-addiction and rehabilitation facilities 4. "SC criticises Punjab govt. over drug menace" — The Hindu, 9 May 2026 (link not verifiable at time of writing) — Supreme Court's observation that only small peddlers are arrested 5. PIB — NCB Offices in Punjab — Amritsar Sub-Zonal Unit upgraded to Zonal Unit, now fully operational