INTRODUCTION
Drug Trafficking has always been a huge problem in the world. Today it is a big concern for every country throughout the world. Over the years it has become a huge organised crime that involves millions of people all around the world. With large organizations involved in the illicit drug trade, it has become one of the most dangerous bodies in the world. Many issues in the past like the Colombian drug cartels and the Mexican Drug wars have caused immense chaos to the American continents. There exists a similar case in Asia with drug trade being a huge problem. The Asian continent has been in complete chaos due to drug-related problems. Two main chains exist in Asia- one being the 'Golden Crescent' which involves Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan and the other one being the 'Golden Triangle' that mainly constitutes of Myanmar, Laos and Thailand and other South-East Asian countries which are actively involved in drug trafficking.
ORIGIN
The Golden Triangle refers to the tri-junction point of Myanmar, Laos and Thailand. This area which is the confluence of the Mekong and the Ruak rivers which is also where all the 3 countries meet. It covers an area of approximately 950,000 square kilometres that overlaps the mountains of the three adjacent countries. The term ‘Golden Triangle’ was first coined by the CIA. This region today is one of the largest opium producers and this region is where one of the highest amounts of drug trafficking takes place. It all started in China. Opium was one of the largest crops in China ever since the British introduced it to them. Post the Opium wars between China and Britain. Opium was a very important commodity in China from where it spread to its nearby nations. When the Communist Party took over mainland China, Opium production moved south of China as the Communist party was very particular about the Opium problem in China. Thus Opium production shifted to other neighbouring nations like Myanmar and Thailand to meet the growing demands. The Kuomintang( or the Chinese who fled China after the communist party took control) controlled territories made up Burma's major opium-producing region, and the shift in Kuomintang policy allowed them to expand their control over the region's opium trade. The Kuomintang forced the local villagers for recruits, food and money, and levied a heavy tax on the opium farmers. This forced the farmers to increase their production of opium to make ends meet.
DRUG PRODUCTION AND TRAFFICKING
Today the region of the ‘Golden Triangle’ is a hotbed of illegal drug activity. Drug trafficking in this region is one of the largest in the world. For the record, Myanmar is the second-largest illicit Opium producing country in the world after Afghanistan. According to the UNODC ( United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime) it is estimated that in 2005 there were 430 square kilometres of opium cultivation throughout Myanmar. In 1996, the United States embassy in Rangoon released a "Country Commercial Guide", which states "Exports of opium alone appear to be worth about as much as all legal exports." It goes on to say that investments in infrastructure and hotels were coming from major opium growing and opium exporting organizations and those with close ties to these organizations. But in contrast with this Most of the tribal people growing the opium poppy in Myanmar and the Thai highlands are living below the poverty line. Opium is not the only drug produced and trafficked in the region of the Golden Triangle. Heroin is another very popular drug in this region. The Golden Triangle is now the world's leading producer of methamphetamine.
A United Nations report in December 2014 revealed that opium production in the Golden Triangle had tripled since 2006, with the illegal drugs trade in the region worth $16.3 billion. The area produced 762 tonnes of opium in 2014, making about 76 tonnes of heroin. While Afghanistan is now the biggest cultivator of opium poppies in the world, the Golden Triangle used to be largest, until eradication efforts in the late 1990's brought cultivation plummeting. However, production has been on the rise once more due to better transport infrastructure as well as an increasing number of heroin users in the surrounding countries. Opium and heroin base produced in North-eastern Myanmar are transported by horse caravans to refineries along the Thailand–Burma border for conversion to heroin and heroin base. Most of the finished products are shipped across the border into various towns in North Thailand and down to Bangkok for further distribution to international markets. The dense jungles of these regions make it the perfect environment for a large number of drug trafficking organisations to operate. It provides the perfect cover for a large number of drug trafficking to take place.
Another important party involved in this flourishing drug trade is the role of India. It is the bridge between the ‘Golden Triangle’ and the ‘Golden Crescent’. The Golden Crescent is also a large contributor to illicit drug trafficking. Drug trade organisations collaborate with organisations from the golden triangle, thus attaining maximum profits as it increases the trade market and the overall output. India is that piece which completes the puzzle as it is the link between the world's two largest areas of illicit opium production. Many Indians mostly youngsters are engaged in illicit drug transportation from one region to another. Bangladesh is another country which has also been involved in this drug run.
EFFORTS TO BRING DOWN ILLICIT DRUG TRADE
Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and China launched a programme to curb the illegal trafficking, with each nation realising that the problem could not be handled by each country alone. Thailand now hosts the Safe Mekong Coordination Centre (SMCC) in Chiang Mai town, which helps coordinate investigations between the four nations. The security forces in the region regularly carry out raids, seizures and closures of drug laboratories, such as the mega-bust. The Indian government and anti-drug squads recently have also been taking actions against the prevailing organisations in its country which are linked to those of the Golden Triangle. The trade routes used by cartels are largely based on the old opium trade routes. The UNODC writes: "The same routes that rebels used to drag opium and heroin through the Golden Triangle hills are now used for the methamphetamine trade." One tactic implemented is to monitor the raw materials needed to produce synthetic drugs. Although Myanmar is the largest producer in the region, it alone cannot produce the necessary raw materials for meth, such as pseudoephedrine and hence depends on importing. This proved to be advantageous to police forces and anti-drug trafficking squads. Raw materials produced on an industrial scale come almost exclusively from Chinese factories. The UNODC has contacted the chemical and pharmaceutical industries in China and Thailand to cooperate more closely with authorities in production countries.
CONCLUSION
The condition the region of the Golden triangle is almost like a conflict zone involving many parties. Regions like these are a serious threat to not just the countries associated with it, but also the entire world. Today the countries associated are finding it extremely difficult to combat the issue of drug trafficking due to its high rise. The organisations involved in these illegal activities are now extremely powerful. Some of them are more powerful and have more control than the governments of these regions. Problems like these need to be addressed by multiple nations and they need to work together in finding appropriate solutions. The problem at hand is something which plays a major part in the everyday life in the ‘Golden Triangle. If action isn't taken soon, then this region might turn into a full-fledged war zone affecting millions.
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