Nepal is a major transit point and a moderate consumption market for drugs from the notorious Golden Triangle in Southeast Asia, which has largely been taken over by synthetic methamphetamine--replacing heroin. It is also known as Yaba, Crazy Horse Pill and by many other names. [break]
“Methamphetamine is a new and even more serious challenge for us because of the great ease in its smuggling and consumption,” said officials at the Narcotic Drug Control Law Enforcement Unit (NDCLEU). NDCLEU seized over 2,500 Yaba tablets in the first week of October in three different raids in the capital.
“Though the seizure took place after a gap of four years, it indicates a serious threat ahead," said Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Diwas Raj Udas, who has handled investigation and law enforcement in narcotics cases during his decade-long posting at NDCLEU.
According to Udas, the volume of the latest seizure indicates that consumption of the synthetic drug, which is more harmful and addictive than any other drug, is already sizeable in Nepal. A methamphetamine tablet is known to have been sold for up to Rs 500 in the local market.
The drug market in Southeast Asia has changed significantly over the last few years, with the dominance of methamphetamine. Myanmar, Thailand, Phillipines, China and Malaysia are producing this inorganic drug in overwhelmingly quantities. It is made with chemicals easily availabe in the legal market. Countries like Japan have seen replacement of heroin consumption with methampetamine.
Even India, where the illegal drug market has a large stake in Nepal for its cannabis and hashish, busted two clandestine labs producing methampetamine last year. Methampetamine includes large portions of precursor chemicals used in processing narcotics for medicinal use. Both India and China are frontline producers of narcotics for medicinal purposes.
“Changes in the Golden Triangle would easily be reflected in Nepal," Udas said. “The developments in neighboring countries would naturally impact us."
The boom in methamphetamine in Southeast Asia, officials said, cames as a counter to the world´s focused action against hard drugs like heroin and cocaine. There is not yet any special detection mechanism to check the smuggling of metamphetamine.
Unlike with other narcotic drugs, methamphetamine does not needing vast swaths of land for cultivation and huge installations for processing. For smuggling rackets, another advantage it has is ease in carrying because it can be concealed in simple packaging. “It demands more intelligence and profiling to nab the smugglers,” Udas said.
Methampetamine was first synthesized from ephedrine in Japan in 1893. It is a chemical used in making cough syrup. “You simply need the knowhow. The chemicals are easily available. It will be no wonder if it replaces major drugs in Nepal also,” officials said.
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