Golden Triangle's North East drug trade thrives on barter

International drug smuggling networks originating from the Golden Triangle – an area spanning Myanmar, Thailand, and Laos – have resorted to barter trade to circumvent border restrictions when transporting narcotics into India. The Northeastern states serve as transit points for heroin and methamphetamine, with payments made through non-monetary goods.

An investigation by the Economic Enforcement (ED) agency found that drugs are exchanged for petrol, diesel, flour, edible oil, groceries, medicines, footwear, and clothing. Myanmar now leads the world in illicit opium production. Drugs are manufactured in Myanmar using precursor chemicals imported from India, then smuggled across the Tiau River at Zokhawthar.

The goods are transported to Aizawl, Vairengte, and subsequently distributed across Assam and the rest of India. ED has identified over 1,400 mule bank accounts belonging to traders involved in these transactions, which have been frozen. Six individuals have already been arrested. The illicit money is redirected through hawala networks operating in Champhai, Delhi, Kolkata, and Mumbai, with significant sums like Rs 125 crore reaching Aizawl and Champhai.

Illegal funds are converted into conventional goods for cross-border transfer, effectively functioning as currency in Myanmar's drug trade. The ED is actively pursuing those involved in consigning, transporting, and receiving the goods, as well as the intermediaries facilitating the financial transactions. The probe aims to dismantle the financial systems supporting narcotics trafficking.