NEW DELHI: The arrest of a Lt Colonel with banned drug pseudo-ephedrine worth crores of rupees in Manipur has brought to the fore the massive demand for the drug in Myanmar, where drug cartels use it to manufacture party drug meth-amphetamine.
Sources say Myanmar's reform push has heightened the demand for the drug in the country as the reconciliation process, which has led to ceasefire between Myanmarese government and several militias belonging to various ethnic groups, has pushed many fringe outfits to ramp up the production of drugs, especially meth-amphetamine.
In the past few months CISF has arrested over a dozen people from the north-east and seized close to 500 kg of pseudo-ephedrine at IGI Airport here. All these consignments were headed to Manipur, Mizoram or Guwahati from where they would be smuggled to Myanmar.
Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) alone has seized over one crore tablets of pseudo-ephedrine over the last one year with much of it headed to Myanmar. The latest case in point of Lt Col Ajay Chaudhary, posted as defence public relations officer in Imphal, arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle pseudo-ephedrine worth Rs 24 crore, is a reflection of how lucrative the business has become.
An NCB official said, "Myanmar has become a global hub of methamphetamine production. Smuggling of pseudo-ephedrine to the country has gone up alarmingly in the past few months because of high demand and lucrative prices being offered."
The official added that Myanmar drug cartels use pseudo-ephedrine to manufacture meth-amphetamine, which is then pushed back into India and Thailand.
Sources in the intelligence apparatus say while Myanmar traditionally has been a narcotics hub; production of chemical drugs has increased after President Thein Sein's reconciliation process of wooing ethnic groups to sign ceasefire pacts.
"This has led to two things. One, the former militias are free and have no other job but to manufacture drugs, which they did earlier to fund their activities. Second, with democratic process surging ahead, the groups want to make as much money as possible while the situation is conducive," explained an intelligence official.
Besides, the Myanmarese government is believed to have reached an unwritten agreement with the militia groups to allow them to intensify their drug manufacturing in lieu of a ceasefire.
"All this is having an impact on Indian market. Due to the demand in illicit market, massive amount of pseudo-ephedrine is being pilfered from factories based in Himachal Pradesh and the distribution networks," added the NCB official.
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