New Delhi, March 3, 2026
Investigations into several narcotics cases in India, especially down South, are increasingly being linked to cartels run from Thailand. While Thailand itself is a big market in terms of consumption, there are various cartels that are doing business in India.
Investigators have learned that Thai cartels hold a huge clout in various parts of India. However, their operations in South India have increased over the last couple of years.
The agencies have also learned that Thai cartels are not necessarily run by the locals. In many cases, it has been found that the operations from Thailand are being handled directly by Indians.
The Narcotics Control Wing of the Central Crime Branch (CCB), which falls under the jurisdiction of the Bengaluru Police, has busted a module after arresting two interstate drug meddlers.
The duo, identified as Ashwin and Mubeena, were peddling drugs in Karnataka, the police said. LSD strips and charas were found on them, according to the police.
The duo from Kerala were residing in Karnataka for a year and had been organizing illegal drug distribution networks on the order of their bosses based out of Thailand.
The arrested persons were in touch with a Kerala-based operative in Thailand and were getting their supplies from him. After receiving the drugs, the duo would distribute them across the state, the preliminary investigation has also found.
An official said that a couple of years back, the drug problem was at its highest in Punjab. However, the narcotics market grew at a rapid pace in Kerala over the last couple of years. In 2024 alone, there were over 27,700 cases registered in Kerala under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS). When comparing the number of cases registered in Punjab during the same period, the number in Kerala was three times higher.
While Pakistan-based operatives focus largely on the northern states, cartels from Mexico, China and Thailand are operating more on the southern side of the country.
States like Tamil Nadu and Kerala have been a hot hub for smuggling drugs from countries such as Thailand. Drugs that are smuggled in from Mexico with the help of the Chinese cartels and Myanmar nationals contain methamphetamine. This substance has a huge demand in the South Indian states.
A large part of the consignment that lands in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands is moved to the southern states and then transported to the rest of the country and even to Myanmar.
From Thailand, the drugs that come in most commonly are LSD, charas and cocaine. Drug cartels from Thailand have chosen Kerala as the main landing point for India operations since the state has a long coastline of 590 kilometres. This makes the state vulnerable to smuggling.
From Kerala, drugs that land from Thailand make their way into Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, an official said.
While the Thai cartels have managed to capture the southern market, they have also been found moving into states such as Maharashtra to further their operations. These drug syndicates have found to be operating in Pune.
The Pune Police had recently busted a module that was operating from Thailand and Bhutan. The syndicate was found to be involved in an international drug peddling network. Following the arrest of five persons in connection with this case, it was found that these persons were using the dark web and were making payments using the hawala network.
It was also found that these persons had used cryptocurrency and the dark web to buy LSD and marijuana and bring them into India. It was found that the drugs were brought in from Thailand and then distributed in Pune, Assam and Bhutan.
An Intelligence Bureau official said that the current Indian drug market is a crowded one. All these years, the agencies spent time dealing with the Dawood Ibrahim syndicate. Today, there are many players and cartels in Thailand, which have Indian bosses too, and are becoming a major menace as they are trying to flood the markets with their contraband. The official added that the relevant agencies are working closely with their counterparts in the respective states to curb this menace.(Agency)
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