Drug trade in Indian Ocean region (IOR)

The Indian Ocean region faces significant challenges due to the growing drug trade. Check here major route for drug trafficking in IOR like Golden Crescent and Golden Triangle.

Table of Contents

Context: Recent political upheavals in Myanmar and Afghanistan have fueled a massive increase in narcotics trafficking in the Indian Ocean Region.

What is the Golden Crescent?

The Golden Crescent comprises Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan
The region is infamous for organised crime activities like the flow of illegal drugs, which aids other illicit activities.
India’s proximity to the golden crescent has made it vulnerable to the trafficking of drugs and narcotics.
Comprises Of 2 Routes:
- Northern Route: Opium and heroin are trafficked to the Russian Federation by way of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.
- Southern Route: Heroin travels from Afghanistan through Pakistan and Iran by sea to South Asia, Africa and Oceania region.

Golden Triangle

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

Facts

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) estimates that 80 per cent of the world’s opium and heroin supplies are trafficked from Afghanistan.
Myanmar is the world’s second-largest illicit supplier of morphine and heroin.