Anti-Drug Working Group BRICS

Anti-Drug Working Group BRICS

• Recently, the 4th Session of the BRICS Anti-Drug Working Group was held through a video conference.
• The session was chaired by Russia this year.

Issues Raised by India

• India raised the misuse of darknet and modern technology used for drug trafficking by international criminals in the meeting.
• It also called for nodal points to enable real-time information sharing among BRICS nations.

Trends of Drug Trafficking

• The BRICS grouping discussed international and regional trends of illegal trafficking in narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances among others.
• It also discussed steps to curb increased instances of drug trafficking through the maritime route.

A Global Menace:

• According to the report released in May 2020 by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Report (UNODC), Covid-19 induced lockdowns and movement restrictions may lead to an initial statistical reduction in drug seizures but is unlikely to have any effect on illicit drug supply.

India and Illicit Drug Trade:

• Major Hub of Illicit Drug Trade: According to UNODC, India is one of the major hubs of illicit drug trade ranging from age-old cannabis to newer prescription drugs like tramadol and designer drugs like methamphetamine.
• Drug Trafficking Routes: India is in the middle of two major illicit opium production regions in the world, the Golden Crescent (Iran-Afghanistan-Pakistan) in the west and the Golden Triangle (South-East Asia) in the east.

Anti-Drug Action Plan:

• India has also launched the Anti-Drug Action Plan for 2020-21 which includes:
• De-addiction Facilities,
• Drop-in-centers for Addicts,
• Integrated Rehabilitation Centre for Addicts (IRCA),
• Drug-Free India Campaign.

Darknet:

• It refers to the hidden internet platform used for narcotics sale, exchange of pornographic content, and other illegal activities by using the secret alleys of the onion router (ToR- free and open-source software for enabling anonymous communication) to stay away from the surveillance of law enforcement agencies.
• It is tough to crack because of its end-to-end encryption.
• The darknet is part of the deep web, which encompasses all unindexed sites that don't pop up when an Internet search is done.
• However, not all activities associated with the deep web are nefarious like the darknet. In most cases, these pages are not searchable because they are password-protected and require authorization in order to access them.
• Personal email, online banking, and other similar sites are included under the umbrella of the deep web.
• The internet we see today is the only tip of the iceberg, the majority is a deep web only.

BRICS

• BRICS is an acronym for the grouping of the world’s leading emerging economies, namely Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
• In 2001, the British Economist Jim O’Neill coined the term BRIC to describe the four emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India, and China.
• The grouping was formalized during the first meeting of BRIC Foreign Ministers in 2006.
• South Africa was invited to join BRIC in December 2010, after which the group adopted the acronym BRICS.
• The chairmanship of the forum is rotated annually among the members, in accordance with the acronym B-R-I-C-S.
• During the Sixth BRICS Summit in Fortaleza (2014) the leaders signed the Agreement establishing the New Development Bank (NDB). They also signed the BRICS Contingent Reserve Arrangement.

Golden Triangle

• It represents the region coinciding with the rural mountains of Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand.
• It is Southeast Asia’s main opium-producing region and one of the oldest narcotics supply routes to Europe and North America.

Golden Crescent

• This region of South Asia is a principal global site for opium production and distribution.
• It comprises Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan.

Source: PIB