ANTI-NARCOTICS OFFICIALS DESTROY THOUSANDS OF ACRES OF OPIUM

UNCLAS KOLKATA 000154 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SNAR KCRM ASEC SOCI EAGR IN SUBJECT: ANTI-NARCOTICS OFFICIALS DESTROY THOUSANDS OF ACRES OF OPIUM POPPY IN WEST BENGAL ¶1. (SBU) On May 5, press reported a massive Central Bureau of Narcotics (CBN) operation in West Bengal to destroy illicit and unlicensed opium crop in Murshidabad and Nadia districts worth Rs. 1,200 crore (USD 290 million). GOI awards licenses for legal opium cultivation in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. The total volume of the destroyed crop in West Bengal is an estimated 380 tons, and raises concerns of a possible nexus between powerful drug syndicates and local cultivators. A CBN official (Preventive & Intelligence Cell) confirmed to Post that in an unpublicized operation during March, opium crop cultivated over 6,500 hectares in Murshidabad and Nadia were destroyed jointly by CBN and West Bengal police. CBN Commissioner Narcotics also confirmed the operation but was hesitant to provide details as the report on the case has been submitted by the Revenue Department to the cabinet of ministers for consideration. However, the Commissioner mentioned that the cultivation was undertaken by local farmers who did not resist the destruction of the crop or arrests. ¶2. (SBU) A senior West Bengal police official who participated in the operation along with the CBN told Post that the farmers cultivating opium are largely uneducated and poor. They have neither the means nor the knowledge to independently produce and market the crop. The police as yet have little information on financiers, seed-suppliers and marketers working behind-the-scenes and using local farmers. He mentioned that police have arrested a number of landowners and farmers from the area. Although unable to provide specific information regarding the backers of the opium cultivation and trade, the official expressed the suspicion that investors hailing from northern Uttar Pradesh may be involved. He explained that operations against opium fields in the two districts are almost an annual affair, but to the surprise of the authorities, the magnitude of the land covered by such cultivation this year has sharply increased. About a year ago, the crop destroyed extended over only one-third the area covered this year. This indicates that eradication efforts by the authorities have failed to dissuade those involved in the illicit trade. According to authorities, the profit margin for opium in this area is estimated to be 150%, which is a significant attraction for illicit poppy cultivation, given the 10-20% margin for common food crops. JARDINE