Go after big fish in drug trafficking cases

New Delhi: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday asked enforcement agencies to go after 'big fish' involved in drug trafficking, saying they need to find who is sending 'mountains' of illegal drugs into the country.

The minister said Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) officers should strive to bring each case to its logical conclusion at the earliest possible time, adding that smugglers would certainly leave some indication or modus operandi and that should be used to reach the main handlers who are actually behind the operation.

"You would make sure that you would not allow the smuggler to be smarter than you all. There is a need for us to work hard and to make sure the logical conclusion is not only for the fellow who was caught with small sachet or a kilogram of cocaine, but who is sending mountains of it into this country, who actually can fund the mountain and making it all possible," she said.

Her comments come against the backdrop of huge quantity of drugs being caught at Gujarat ports in recent months. Last week, 143 kilogram of drugs valuing about Rs478 crore was seized in poll-bound Gujarat. Sitharaman was addressing the 65th foundation day of DRI, which is primarily involved in busting of illegal trade of narcotic drug and psychotropic substances, gold, diamond counterfeit currency notes and other goods into the country.