Thread by @Neh_hope_faith

THREAD: What is Golden Crescent and Golden Triangle and how it impacts India?

Golden Crescent region of South Asia - comprises of Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan - which is a principal global site for opium production and distribution.

Golden Triangle is the area where the borders of Thailand, Laos and Myanmar meet at the confluence of the Ruak and Mekong rivers. The Golden Triangle is called so because of the triangular shape formed by the locations of New Delhi, Agra and Rajasthan on a map.

India is wedged bw world’s 2 largest areas of illicit opium production, Golden Crescent & Golden Triangle, that has made Indian borders vulnerable to drug trafficking. It flows from 2 fronts, NW & NE, that possesses dual concern - violation of border & threat to national security

- Golden Crescent is world’s leading opium and cannabis producing region since 1983.

- Its proximity to Indo-Pak border has worsened the trafficking of hashish and heroin into Indian soil

- Trafficking happens through the border states of J&K, Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat.

- Golden Triangle is leading opium producing region of the South-east Asia, also an ancient narcotics supply route to North America & Europe.

- Myanmar-Northeast nexus is recognized by NCB as the root of heroin & chemical drugs

- Myanmar produces 80% of heroin produced in world

- After production, its trafficked mainly to US & European countries through China, Vietnam, Thailand, Laos & India

- Due to increased surveillance & frequent crackdowns on cartels in various part of SE Asian countries, India has been chosen by drug smugglers as the exit gateway

- Dimapur Nagaland, Champai Mizoram, Moreh Manipur, Guwahati Assam have become hubs for trafficking in North East.

- Diverse topography, high mountains, rivers, dense rainforests provides numerous hideouts to the smugglers, and security forces cannot respond to criminal

attempts expeditiously due to inefficient connectivity and transport.

- Also, rising nexus between the local ethnic insurgent groups & criminals across the border have developed into a potent threat of narco-terrorism that challenges India’s national security.

- Funds raised from drug trafficking is used for smuggling of arms.
Narco-terrorism has not only developed a social security threat for India, but also dragged attentions of global communities, since trade happens in hard cash, & it becomes very difficult for security agencies

to collect evidences against criminal, due to lack of paper work. Further, dark web, crypto currency are also used for trafficking

- Influx of narco-trade money leads to laundering, inflation, corruption, which not only causes terr0rism, political instability but also deter FDI.

In 2019, PM Modi said, “When our neighbor could not succeed in its nefarious designs by sending terrorists and weapons, it hatched a conspiracy to smuggle drugs into our country to destroy our youth.”

In 2018, Punjab CM Amarinder Singh, said, “Pakistan has a long-term plan of destroying our youth. They are trying to demolish youth along the border.” He was referring to seizures of hundreds of kgs of drugs in Gujarat, and J&K that, according to him, were intended for Punjab

- Most recently, massive anti-drugs operation happened in Assam, where NCB and Central agencies seized narcotic substances worth ₹170 crore. It is Southeast Asia’s main opium-producing region and one of the oldest narcotics supply routes to Europe and North America.

- As several NE states share borders Myanmar, it is easy to smuggle drugs from the region to India through these states.
- Assam CM @himantabiswa drove a road roller on 1000s of bottles of illegal cough syrups. The CM also set fire to seized drugs worth crores in an event.

As per AIIMS 2019 study on Magnitude of Substance Use in India:

- About 2.8% of Indians aged 10-75 years (3.1 crore individuals) are current users of any cannabis product, which is predominantly men.

Drug usage variations across the states:

- In eastern & NE states, illegal cannabis products (ganja/charas) are used by a larger proportion of people as compared to bhang.
- States with higher than national prevalence of cannabis use are UP, Punjab, Sikkim, Chhattisgarh & Delhi.

The epidemic of substance abuse in young generation has assumed alarming dimensions. Changing cultural values, increasing economic stress & dwindling supportive bonds are leading to initiation into substance use.

Drugs take you to hell, disguised as heaven !

#MakeIndiaDrugFree

@ShefVaidya @snehasneha173 @Anti_Congressi @captsinghjs @BesuraTaansane @Manik_M_Jolly @nsbchd @RiseofBurnol @malhar_pandey @luckyschawla @iSinghApurva

Golden Triangle is the area where the borders of Thailand, Laos and Myanmar meet at the confluence of the Ruak and Mekong rivers.

(please ignore the latter part of the sentence)