ANTF tracks shift to Golden Triangle, maps new opium route via NE

Jaipur: Rajasthan Police’s Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) has uncovered a shifting drug corridor feeding opium into the state after a six-month covert operation in Manipur, where officers tracked truck movements, eateries and supply chains linked to the Golden Triangle.Police have identified the new supply pivot as the Golden Triangle — the tri-border region of Myanmar, Laos and Thailand — with traffickers turning east after Afghanistan’s output dropped.IG, ANTF Vikas Kumar said the shift followed the Taliban govt’s 2022 ban on opium cultivation, which squeezed supply and pushed networks to tap alternative sources.Kumar told TOI that teams were deployed in Manipur to monitor routes and build an information network on how narcotics were entering the state. “We have been keeping a close watch on the Golden Triangle and its linkages with the Northeast. The pattern clearly shows a supply shift,” he said.The Golden Triangle has been fast emerging as one of the world’s largest opium-producing belts, with Myanmar emerging as a key contributor. Opium extracted from poppy is processed into heroin and other narcotics, and officials say Manipur’s proximity to Myanmar makes it a vulnerable entry point. Its porous borders, hilly terrain and ongoing conflict have compounded enforcement challenges.Alarm bells rang louder in Dec when ANTF intercepted a truck at Reengus in Sikar district and recovered around 20 kg of opium believed to have originated from the Northeast. That seizure triggered a deeper probe into the logistics behind the movement.Investigators found that several Rajasthan-based operators run roadside eateries along highways in the Northeast, which are now under the scanner for alleged links to trafficking networks. Trucks heading towards Rajasthan routinely halt at these points.“The modus operandi is structured but simple,” Kumar said. “Drivers stop at these eateries to rest. During that time, another handler takes the truck, moves it to a secondary location where the contraband is concealed within legitimate consignments, and returns it. The original driver then resumes the journey.”Once back on the road, trucks often avoid direct routes. Officials said vehicles frequently meander across highways, take long detours and even temporarily divert to other states to throw off surveillance. In one case, ANTF alerted police in a neighbouring state after a Rajasthan-bound truck stopped moving unexpectedly; the vehicle was later seized there.The six-month operation in Manipur involved sustained surveillance of transport routes, eateries and freight movement to map the chain from source to destination. But the task has not been straightforward. Officials said ongoing unrest in the region has limited access and created operational risks, slowing intelligence gathering.“We are also coordinating regularly with police in Assam to keep a tab on the vehicles that carry such drugs,” Kumar said.