By Kyrsoibor Pyrtuh
While appreciating the efforts of the Anti-Narcotics Squad of Meghalaya Police in apprehending and arresting the petty drug peddlers and couriers, these arrests must also raise alarm bells that there is more than meets the eye in the illegal business of narcotics which is prevalent in Shillong. Drug trafficking and substance abuse in the Capital and its embedded societal predicaments are no recent phenomenon. Today, the question is not how this drug menace will end. Rather how long or how far will it go and create extreme havoc in the State and society? However, this should not deter us from fighting against it. As the war is raging, we must also equip ourselves with knowledge and wisdom and also explore ways to combat the menace. We must remember that this is not a personal battle but the entire community has to be involved.
Cities around the globe which are plagued with drug trafficking and substance abuse have many gory stories to tell and teach us. The drug cartels have well established and trained private armies and they also enthrone and de-throne governments/rulers at will. The drug cartels are involved in kidnapping and killing people, including government officials and priests who came in the way to meddle with their illegalities. According to Father Fabian Belay, who is also known as the slum priest, “In Rosario, Argentina Drug money is said to be spent by politicians and members of the police, who stand idle as gangs battle for control of lucrative supply chains and locals are left living in fear.”
In the ensuing battle against the drug cartels, millions of children are orphaned and youths lost their lives either in violence or substance abuse. The streets are flooded with blood in the recurring gang wars or inter cartel battles or in the battle with the State’s forces resulting in huge loss to the economy and human lives on both ends. Besides, the tragedies that befall families who are caught in this spiderweb/cycle of drug abuse, illegal business and violence are beyond description. But there are people who have completely lost their moral moorings and conscience and are becoming rich from this illegality. Thus, our war against drugs must begin by confronting and challenging the cartels.
While it is unfair to compare Shillong with other drugs infested cities of the world, it is important to analyse the reality of the situation in Shillong with regards to drug trafficking and consumption which is rising at an alarming rate unless it is combated:
1. The narcotic drugs supplier, peddlers or couriers are in existence in Shillong. Perhaps they may have formed a well-knit ring or are under the supervision of trans-national drug lord (s) or emerging regional narcotic regent(s)?
2. The amount of quantity seized by the police from drug peddlers across the city in the recent past is indicative that the number of addicts/consumers in Shillong are relatively high and there is a lucrative market with huge turnover. This has also resulted in the rise of crimes like burglary, chains and purse snatching which has put the lives of commuters/pedestrians and residents in grave danger.
3. The problems are aggravated with poor policing. There is a sharp rise in thefts and burglary in Polo area and the adjacent localities and there are also reports that criminal elements like purse and chains snatchers are openly loitering the streets with impunity.
4. Unfortunately, in Shillong we only witness or read about the arrests of petty peddlers or couriers. We hardly hear that a kingpin or big-time supplier is arrested or a cartel is busted. It may be opined that narcotics trade in the City or State is being carried by a cartel either from within or outside the State, who may be big time business people, who may also fund religious or charitable institutions or political elections etc.
5. If the situation of addiction continues and the supply of narcotics increases the next decade will be disastrous for Shillong. Ultimately, drug trafficking leads to violence, gang war, killings and kidnappings. A cartel will certainly raise their own private militia and time may come that they may occupy the seat of power. And in Meghalaya illegalities of different kinds (from illegal coal mining and transportation to fake encounters to lynching and extortion etc) are occurring under our noses and it is plausible that drug trafficking may have happened with the knowledge of people in power or close to power. Apparently, the narcotics trade in the Capital is being transacted regularly without fear of the law and Shillong is heading towards a catastrophe of sorts.
6. It is also necessary to segregate drug dealers/suppliers or cartel from local petty peddlers and couriers in our battle against drugs/substance abuse. Of course, there may be drug peddlers or couriers who are aiming to become drug lords someday. Social and medical scientists have time and again described the interconnection between drug trafficking or substance abuse with poverty, economic inequality, corruption, unemployment and militancy. Moreover, our youths are vulnerable and are falling prey to substance abuse due to frustration, broken homes and other related societal and psychological issues.
7. There are specific laws to deal with narcotics trade and it would be unwise to comment anything on the legal aspects. Let the law stringently deal with it in its own space and book anyone who is involved in this illegality. But the law alone will not be able to solve and counter the socio-economic harm caused by the narcotics trade and substance abuse. The society has to come and stand together to battle against it.
8. I do not justify the illegal acts committed by either the peddlers or couriers or the addicts. The law is there to punish such illegality, but let us begin the war against drug trafficking and substance abuse by refraining from being judgemental and prejudiced towards person (s) or family (s) who are entrapped in this mess. Rather let us stretch out our hands and lift them from this whirlpool of addiction, illegality and violence.
Through this medium I appeal to every citizen of Shillong in particular and the State in general to collectively think and work together to combat drug trafficking and substance abuse before it goes out of hand. To solve the issue, a long-term plan is needed, one that requires unity, intelligence, bravery, audacity and political will, both at the grass roots (village dorbars/Welfare society(s) and at the state level.
Immediately, Shillong is in dire need of community rehabilitation, counselling and care centres to be run by professionals. These centres should be made universal and accessible to all. More important is that those ensnared in substance abuse/drug trafficking and especially from the marginalized section should be given free access to treatment in rehab and care centres. In my interactions with local families across the city, whose wards are entrapped in drug trafficking and substance abuse, jail is the only option for them as they could not afford the cost of medical expenses in private rehab centres. Perhaps jail is not a bad option if there are available correctional teachings/methods which can be applied to reform or transform people. But how good is the condition of our jails and its system? Rather than correcting people, they may turn them into hardened criminals? A holistic approach towards the problems of poverty, inequality and unemployment must be brought forward. Further, in cosmopolitan city like Shillong the issue of drug trafficking/substance abuse and its interconnected socio-economic realities cannot be narrowly compartmentalized as ethnic/communal problems. Improvised system of policing and the involvement of democratically elected grassroots or community (s) councils are imperative.
Lastly, religious institutions also have to step in as they command a greater degree of mental and moral behaviour of their followers but with the sole idea of helping and supporting the victims and not to convert them. In 2018 during the Vatican Conference on Drugs and Addictions, Pope Francis called for a combined effort to restore human dignity through prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and reintegration projects. A combined and collective effort among communities and agencies to implement social programmes aimed at health, family support and education is vital.
(For further discussions and actions on this issue please call or write to me: Phone: 6033005175. Email [email protected])