A bulk of the heroin seized by the Indian Navy and Narcotic Control Bureau (NCB) from an Iranian flagged vessel off Kochi was possibly bound for ‘target markets’ in the U.S. and Europe via Sri Lanka, according to top drug and Customs enforcement officials.
They attributed the resurgence in heroin smuggling to a bumper opium crop in Afghanistan and the withdrawal of U.S. forces from the country. An IRS official, who also trains the Navy and Indian Coast Guard in drug enforcement, noted that the demand for heroin in India had dwindled due to a marked shift in consumption patterns.
