Go after big fish in drugs trade: Nirmala Sitharaman

NEW DELHI: Highlighting the need for faster disposal of cases related to trade-based smuggling, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday asked enforcement agencies to go after ‘big fish’ and bust international syndicates that have been using containerised consignments to smuggle drugs into the country.
Speaking at a Directorate of Revenue Intelligence event here, she asked officials to engage more with their international counterparts to nab ‘big handlers’ working behind the scenes and ensure that smugglers do not outsmart authorities. “There is a need for us to work hard and to make sure the logical conclusion is not only for the fellow who was caught with a small sachet or a kilogram of cocaine, but who is sending mountains of it into this country,” the minister said at the event.
The trend of seizure of heroin and cocaine in the Arabian Sea region has increased fears of narco-terrorism in India with the DRI in its report saying international syndicates have been increasingly using trade consignments to fund anti-national activities in the country.