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It is important to win the drug war in classrooms rather than courtrooms, says Ramachandra Sundaralingam, Interpol drugs expert from France.

Drug-trafficking syndicates in certain parts of the world are attempting to conquer territories and build up new enterprises. The global drug trade is exploding," asserts Ramachandra Sundaralingam, an Interpol drugs expert from France. This is something that the intrepid crusader and adviser to the White House has emphasised in his presentations to global law enforcement agencies. Today, his biggest worries pertain to the growth of new production areas, fresh supply routes and drug syndicates.

With the Sri Lankan Police Service as Senior Additional Director General, before joining Interpol France in 1986 as drugs specialist, Sundaralingam has been Interpol's leading expert on drugs for 16 years. "From 10 kg of opium, you get one kg morphine; and from one kg of morphine you get one kg heroin. Between 300 and 400 tonnes of heroin or morphine are available in the illicit market today," he says.

India remains most vulnerable, positioned as it is between West Asia, the world's largest source of heroin, and South-East Asia, the second major producer of heroin and synthetic drugs, he says. Momentous changes in the geo-political, economic, communications and technological domains have had a major impact on illegal drug-trafficking. "Yet, it has also opened up better avenues for preventive action and control. There is greater awareness and determination on the part of law enforcement agencies to control the drug trade, besides more co-operation among member countries to dismantle drug organisations," he says.

Burgeoning markets

He says almost 85-90 per cent of the heroin seized in Europe comes from West Asia and South-East Asia. There were also instances of heroin coming all the way from Colombia into Europe last year. "The international drug crossing, where Europe is concerned, starts from Kabul and moves into Europe via Istanbul. Today, illicit opium is the most valuable cash crop in Afghanistan. If a family has two sons, one son stays at home and the other joins the rebel movement. What can be done in such a situation? In Afghanistan and our North-East frontier, the two easily available commodities are AK-47 and heroin," he says.

Two seizures in October 1996 at Gladina Tinto on the Serbian-Bulgarian border revealed that the Cossovan Albanians were the latest entrants in the business.

The drug routes in the eastern hemisphere have remained the same for the last 50 years. Kunsa, nicknamed the Opium King of Asia, was producing high-quality heroin called the Uway Gope brand, "which is like Scotch whisky in quality. At the moment, he is in the custody of the Myanmarese government in Yangon, but the trade continues unabated," he says.

China is also becoming an important route, and interaction with Chinese customs officers revealed that 50 per cent of the seizures at airports was meant for the local market, and only the rest for the international market.

Global trends

The growth of international drug trafficking networks, burgeoning insurgent groups which provide protection for the production areas and benefit by obtaining arms illegally, and political upheavals in several countries in the Balkans, Asia and Latin America have led to an increase in drug-related crimes. Another important factor is the demand.

"Today, youth culture is merging with the drug culture," he says. Despite stringent measures enforced in countries such as China and India, chemicals essential for the manufacture of heroin, cocaine and synthetic drugs are diverted to laboratories in drug producing countries.

"Advanced banking systems facilitate instant money laundering across the globe. How many countries have money-laundering laws and are implementing them? How many money-launderers have been convicted and jailed," he asks.

Sundaralingam feels that it is important to win the drug war in classrooms rather than courtrooms. His advice: Drug abuse is often a result of underlying problems or a broader malaise. It is therefore important to address the potential causes and not just the abuse in isolation.

June 26 is International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

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