Hyderabad: An internal report by EAGLE flagged a series of gaps that are undermining efforts to curb the narcotics trade, pointing to how traffickers are adapting faster than enforcement systems. The report said drug networks are using courier services, ride-hailing platforms, fake identities, financial loopholes and weak travel checks to move consignments, launder money and shield operatives from detection.The report said traffickers increasingly shifted to digital marketplaces and logistics services to hide their identities and move contraband. It noted that ganja chocolates are being sold on e-commerce and online marketplace platforms through both business-to-business and business-to-customer channels. It said domestic courier gaps became a major vulnerability. Using services such as India Post and private operators, peddlers are able to send parcels without legitimate sender or receiver addresses. They often use pseudonyms and provide only a mobile number. Once a parcel is booked, the tracking or consignment number is shared with the recipient, who can collect it from the courier office using that number.The documents also pointed to international shipments as a major concern. They said large quantities of cocaine are being smuggled from the Netherlands, Belgium and France through premium freight and courier services. According to the report, these channels are helping sustain global drug supply chains because content verification remains weak.For movement within cities, the report said traffickers are exploiting ride-hailing services. Peddlers are using these services to deliver drugs and vapours, or e-cigarettes, while delivery personnel and the parent companies rarely verify package contents and remain focused on speed and commission.Fake identities & money trailThe report said foreign syndicates, particularly those linked to Nigerian cartels, are using passport and visa fraud to evade detection and deportation. It stated that many traffickers possess dual passports issued by different countries, allowing them to enter India under different names and visa categories.It further said some traffickers arriving on medical or business visas destroy their original passports after the visa period ends. They then carry fake passports with valid visas to conceal their identity, making deportation difficult. The report also flagged student visa abuse, saying several foreign nationals enrolled as students fail to attend classes and maintain attendance of less than 20% while focusing on drug operations.The financial trail, the documents said, is being obscured through both FinTech services and informal channels. Cartels are allegedly using international fund transfer services to receive funds from abroad by submitting fake identity proofs that are not adequately verified against the original source of funds.The report said traffickers are also operating mule bank accounts, including accounts belonging to former Nigerian students who left India after completing their studies. It described a laundering route in which drug money is moved through hawala to hubs such as Mumbai and Tirupur. The cash is then handed over to Nigerian businessmen who purchase clothing and send it to Nigeria. The sale proceeds are later deposited into cartel-linked accounts in Nigeria as business income.Airports & prisons Another concern flagged in the report is domestic air travel. It said syndicates are using Nigerian women to transport drugs on flights from Delhi to cities such as Hyderabad and Bengaluru, taking advantage of what it described as a lack of rigorous checking mechanisms for domestic travellers at airports. The same weakness, it said, is helping mules move drugs between major Indian cities.The documents also said that arrested traffickers continued operations from inside prisons. It cited Central Jail Colvale and Bangalore Central Jail as places from where drug activity continued even after arrests. In raids conducted with the assistance of the Goa Police, 19 mobile phones were seized, the report said.
