Who profits from the drug trade?

The government’s proposed amendment to the Narcotics Control Act 2018 reflects an understandable desire to confront the growing threat of narcotics and the crimes associated with them.

According to a report published in The New Nation on Friday, the creation of special tribunals to expedite the disposal of drug-related cases may appear to be a decisive response.

Yet speed, in the absence of substance, risks becoming little more than a cosmetic reform.

At first glance, specialised Narcotics Crime Suppression Tribunals could help reduce the enormous backlog of more than six lakh pending cases.

Delayed justice undermines public confidence and weakens deterrence.

However, the deeper question remains unanswered: who exactly is being brought to justice?

For too long, anti-drug operations have disproportionately targeted couriers, street-level dealers and users, while the individuals who allegedly finance, organise and profit from the narcotics trade remain beyond the reach of the law.

A legal framework that punishes the expendable foot soldiers but fails to dismantle the command structure of organised drug networks is unlikely to produce meaningful change.

The most troubling aspect of the draft amendment is its silence on financial accountability.

It does not define crucial concepts such as organised drug crime, drug syndicates, financiers or beneficial owners. Nor does it require mandatory financial investigations to trace illicit proceeds and expose those directing large-scale trafficking operations.

These omissions represent not minor oversights but fundamental weaknesses.

Equally concerning is the failure to strengthen investigations. Poor evidence preservation, flawed seizure procedures, delayed forensic reports and inadequate witness management have long undermined prosecutions.

Establishing new tribunals without addressing these deficiencies merely adds another administrative layer to a system already struggling to deliver justice.

An effective anti-drug strategy must extend beyond faster trials. It should prioritise professional investigations, financial intelligence, inter-agency coordination and witness protection.

Investigators must be empowered and required to follow the money, identify beneficiaries and expose the networks that sustain the illicit trade.

The country does not need a tougher appearance of enforcement; it needs smarter enforcement.

We must say, unless the architects and financiers of the drug economy are held accountable, expedited tribunals may succeed only in filling prisons with low-level offenders while leaving the real beneficiaries untouched.

That would be a grave missed opportunity in the fight against narcotics.