TN emerges major transit point for meth trade to Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Oz

TAMIL NADU has emerged as a major transit point for international drug syndicates trafficking the banned narcotic methamphetamine or its precursor pseudoephedrine to Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Australia, where there is high demand, according to probes by Indian investigators.

- SIDDHARTH PRABHAKAR

Official data from the Narcotics Control Bureau's (NCB) Chennai zone show that the agency's seizures of meth bound for Sri Lanka jumped from 12kg in 2021 to 66kg in 2022 and 81kg in 2023, indicating an increase in transnational trade.

In 2024 alone, the NCB's and Directorate of Revenue Intelligence's (DRI) Chennai zones have seized 47kg of the drug with a street value of ₹360 crore in just four cases. In all four, the narcotic was sourced from Myanmar and en route to Sri Lanka. The latest seizure of 10kg was made by the DRI last week, leading to the arrest of six individuals and busting of an international syndicate.

Trafficking of meth is a highly lucrative business, said officials. It costs around 50,000-1,00,000 per kilogram in Manipur, around 7 lakh in Chennai and has a street price several times that in Sri Lanka and Malaysia.

NCB pegs the drug's value at ₹10 crore per kg, while DRI says it's ₹5 crore.