Myanmar route becomes most sought-after entry point for gold, cigarette smugglers into northeast

Smugglers have of late found a new route to conceive the crime of bringing in gold and other smuggling products such as cigarettes and other tobacco products illegally into India through various seas and airports and through the porous borders, especially the borders with Nepal and Myanmar.

The government agency, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), in its report, Smuggling in India Report 2021, presented by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, mentioned that it has always responded to the challenge and made significant inroads into dismantling the gold smuggling syndicates throughout the years.

Although Switzerland is the largest source of illegal gold bullion entering India, gold has traditionally been smuggled into India via aviation routes from Middle Eastern countries, according to the research. However, the increased vigilance of Indian law enforcement agencies has forced gold smuggling syndicates to adopt new operating methods and strategies.

In its report, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) stated that the agency seized 833.07 kg of smuggled gold worth Rs 405.35 crore in 2021-22.

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According to the study, increased monitoring at international airports has caused the shift of route from the Middle East via air to a land route across the China-Myanmar-India frontiers. Geographically, India shares land borders with five countries in the Northeastern region: Myanmar, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, and China, with the majority of products passing through northeast India.

Notably, smuggled gold is then transported from Muse to places along the Indo-Myanmar Border (IMB) via the Mandalay-Kalewa route, according to the report, adding that India shares a long, densely forested, hilly, and somewhat inaccessible border with Myanmar in the states of Manipur, Mizoram, and Nagaland.

The DRI report said Manipur and Mizoram are the two strategic states at the Indo-Myanmar Border in connection with gold smuggling.

The report stated that the role of DRI is crucial in thwarting the smuggling of cigarettes and other tobacco products illegally into India through various seas and airports and through the porous borders, especially the borders with Nepal and Myanmar. 

DRI has a stellar record in enforcement activities when it comes to cigarettes and tobacco products and it has busted diverse modus operandi involving complex operations spanning multiple states.

Section 25 of the FSSAI Act deals with the import of food items and further provides that “The Central Government shall, while prohibiting, restricting or otherwise regulating the import of article of food under the Foreign Trade (Development and Regulation) Act, 1992 (22 of 1992), follow the standards laid down by the Food Authority under the provisions of this Act and the Rules and regulations made there under”.

Earlier in October, addressing the regional meeting on ‘Drug Trafficking and National Security' with CMs and DGPs of North-eastern states in Guwahati, the Union Home Minister Amit Shah said, "This is for the second time such a meeting has been held, the first was in Chandigarh wherein we considered Kashmir to New Delhi and built a stratgy to fight against drug abuse."

Amit Shah asserted that both Afghanistan and Myanmar (Burma) to be held responsible to supply drugs to the entire world further impacting the north and northeast parts of India the most.

As the northeast can be regarded as the entry point, the government should fight here itself and stop drug trafficking.