Foreign hand in drug trade

New details emerging in the case of alleged drug queenpin Anmol alias Pinky reflect the extent of the international connections in the local drug trade. Investigators can confirm that Pinky's narcotics network was not purely local but relied heavily on foreign operatives. This is hardly surprising, because almost all of the world's coca - the plant from which cocaine is made - comes from three South American countries. However, it may come as news to many people only familiar with Hollywood depictions of the international drug trade that Africa is actually a major transshipment point for cocaine going to Europe, Oceania and most of Asia. African crime gangs are also deeply intertwined in the illegal drug trade in several countries, including Pakistan.

The Karachi police have identified at least six African nationals in Pinky's operation, all of whom were apparently based in Lahore. While details are still scant, it is worth noting that Nigerian gangs are known to be intertwined in the illegal drug trade in neighbouring India. Meanwhile, Ethiopia is the only African country with a direct air route to Pakistan, through flights connecting Addis Ababa and Karachi. A future air connection with Lahore has also been announced. The only other viable smuggling route would have to be by sea, which is less likely due to the logistical hurdles involved.

However, Pakistan also needs to examine the number of African nationals entering the country for bogus reasons, including those who overstay visas and some university students. Foreigners have been known to abuse student visas to allow them to act as drug mules, as their seasonal travel to drug hotspots raises fewer red flags. Meanwhile, foreign gang members may have helped modernise domestic operations with the underworld's version of 'international best practices'.

For too long, our primary focus has been on drugs going out, mostly because Western aid is focused on stopping heroin and hashish from entering their countries. We are already behind in the fight against meth and heroin, because these can be easily produced locally. It is about time that law enforcers started doing their jobs and stopped 'Western' drugs from coming in.