“Go after Big Fish, global drug mafia”: Treasury Secretary tells Intelligence

New Delhi:

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday asked law enforcement agencies to go after “big fish” and catch those global mafia controlling the operation to send “mountains” of illegal drugs into the country.

The minister asked the intelligence services of the tax authorities to do more with their international counterparts to denounce “big handlers” working behind the scenes and ensure that smugglers do not outwit the authorities.

Tax intelligence officials should strive to bring each case to a logical conclusion as quickly as possible, she said, adding that smugglers would certainly leave a trail that should be used to reach key handlers who are actually behind the operation.

“You would make sure the smuggler wasn’t smarter than all of you… We have to work hard and make sure the logical conclusion doesn’t just apply to the guy who was caught with a small bag.” or a kilo of cocaine, but who sends mountains of this country, who can actually fund that mountain…” she said.

Her comments come against the backdrop of the massive amounts of drugs seized in Gujarat ports in recent months. Last week, 143 kilograms of drugs worth about Rs 478 crore were seized in Gujarat.

Sitharaman addressed the 65th establishment day of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), which is mainly involved in detecting illicit trafficking of narcotics and psychotropic substances, gold, counterfeit banknotes and other goods in the country, in addition to taking punitive action against the perpetrators.

In the past financial year (2021-2022), DRI seized 3,463 kilograms of heroin (including the 2,988 kilograms seized at the port of Mundra), 833 kilograms of gold and 321 kilograms of cocaine, among other things.

Sitharaman stated that the deterrent effect of these seizures is numerous and said crime syndicates are developing at a rapid pace and using new ways to hide drugs and gold in commercial goods shipments.

She said reports of DRI drug seizures also raise questions in people’s minds, such as how many of those arrested have gone to prison and who is actually the big fish behind it.

“You catch the small fries, the peddlers, the traffickers, the mules. Is that enough? To gain the public’s trust that is not enough at all. Are you able to catch the big handlers of such things who are behind the scenes to face the law of the land?” Sitharaman said.

The minister also suggested that DRI agents should have greater access to international cooperation and greater global intelligence-sharing coordination to reach key perpetrators of the crime.

“Unless at least in a few cases you are able to get your hands on those big fish that are actually behind these operations, the constant question that remains with the public is who are the people who committed it, and that is the global mafia that actually controls this. Can there be a more visible approach to take them to court and also see them convicted,” the minister said.

Sitharaman also asked the officers to find out whether India is a transit country or a consumer country when it comes to illegal narcotics smuggling.

Referring to gold smuggling, she asked the intelligence officers to investigate whether there is a pattern and relationship between importation and smuggling.

In the past fiscal year, DRI seized 833.07 kg of gold worth Rs 405.35 crore.

The minister also asked the DRI agents to use technology to detect crime, but at the same time to develop firewalls to protect their data and systems from hackers.

“The same technology that comes as an aid to your functioning can also become a double-edged dagger… So be sure to protect the technology and systems you rely on,” she said.

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