From CK Nayak
NEW DELHI, Oct 24: The troubled situation in Bangladesh now and in Myanmar earlier is making a part of India’s northeastern region the ‘New Golden Triangle’ for narcotics trafficking besides other illegal activities, said a report by a Delhi-based rights watchdog released on Friday.
The Golden Triangle, referring to the area where the borders of Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand meet, has historically been one of the world’s largest producers of opium and heroin. The Rights and Risks Analysis Group (RRAG) has dubbed the Bangladesh-India-Myanmar drug corridor as the New Golden Triangle for narcotics trafficking.
In a statement, RRAG director Suhas Chakma urged Indian authorities to take seriously the alleged involvement of Bangladesh’s Parbattya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS) in the illegal drug trade across the Chittagong Hill Tracts, warning that ignoring the issue could have grave consequences for India’s northeastern states.
He specifically warned Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Tripura that overlooking the PCJSS’s alleged role in trafficking would be “at their own peril”. He cited the recovery of narcotics worth Rs 10 lakh by the Assam Rifles from Mizoram’s Lunglei on June 19 as a case in point.
“The main risks from failed states are terrorism, arms smuggling, drug smuggling, and human trafficking,” Chakma said. “Burma, a classic failed state, was infamous because of the Golden Triangle. Today, Myanmar, India, and Bangladesh have become the ‘New Golden Triangle’, with the involvement of foreign armed groups in drug trafficking in India posing a serious threat,” he added.
The RRAG director termed the interim government of Bangladesh, led by Muhammad Yunus, as “one of the most hostile governments to India”.
Chakma also highlighted the growing number of drug-related cases involving members of the Chakma community in Mizoram since 2024. At least six cases have been registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act in the Lunglei District and Sessions Court.
However, he acknowledged that directly linking those arrested to the PCJSS could be difficult, as “couriers often do not know the cartels they work for.”
According to Chakma, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Tripura are now “flooded with drugs”, and authorities are struggling to control the influx. Mizoram has emerged as a major entry point for narcotics from Myanmar, with the state’s Excise and Narcotics Department registering 87 cases and arresting 112 individuals in Champhai district alone between January and September 2025.
“Drugs kill without discrimination, destroying the youth, the future of our country,” Chakma warned. “When a foreign armed groups enjoying political power under a hostile government in Bangladesh engage in smuggling everything from drugs to cosmetics, India cannot afford to address it through routine approaches,” he added.
A separate new report revealed that Meghalaya is facing a severe drug problem, with rising rates of substance abuse, increasing trafficking, and devastating consequences for its youth and society. The study found that the mean age of drug initiation in Meghalaya is 19 years, with some users starting as early as 10 years, lower than in neighbouring states.
Like Mizoram, Meghalaya’s location near the Golden Triangle makes it a transit and consumption hub for illicit drugs, particularly synthetic drugs from Myanmar. The study also revealed that commonly used drugs include heroin, marijuana, cocaine, as well as pharmaceutical drugs like nitrazepam and alprazolam in Meghalaya, mostly in Shillong.
Drug abuse has resulted in increased crime and serious health hazards. The Meghalaya government has taken a two-pronged approach to combat the drug problem, focusing on both law enforcement and rehabilitation.
