Knowledge Nugget | What is ‘Crystal Fortress’ Operation and why is it in the news?

Why in the news?

Last week, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), along with Delhi Police’s Special Cell (Counter Intelligence) unit, arrested two drug peddlers in Delhi, marking a successful culmination of a four-month-long operation — Crystal Fortress. The two drug peddlers have been identified as Shane Warris (25) from Amroha, Uttar Pradesh, and Esther Kimmi (43) from Dimapur, Nagaland. This transnational racket, operated from Dubai, was busted through the inter-state coordination between the police forces of Delhi and Nagaland, along with the NCB.

Key takeaways:

#1. Operation Crystal Fortress: The operation drew its name from “Crystal”, referring to methamphetamine, and “fortress”, denoting the secured area where it was hidden, similar to a fort. Methamphetamine is also known as the “Ice” drug because of its white, crystal-like appearance and its high demand at rave parties.

#2. Operation MED MAX: In July, Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah congratulated NCB and all agencies on busting a global drug cartel. MED MAX was one of the far-reaching crackdowns carried out by NCB against the illegal pharmaceutical drug trade. They successfully dismantled a transnational drug trafficking syndicate that used encrypted digital platforms, drop shipping models, and cryptocurrency to smuggle controlled medicines across four continents.

#3. Drug cartel on hydroponic marijuana busted: Last month, the Delhi Police busted an international drug cartel operating in India, Thailand and the UAE with the seizure of 21 kg of hydroponic marijuana, worth Rs 27.24 crore. Hydroponic Marijuana — also known as ocean-grown weed— is grown.

#4. Operation WeedOut: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) launched a pan India operation under the codename “Weedout” to dismantle a syndicate involved in smuggling of hydroponic weed into India. DRI is the premier intelligence and enforcement agency, working under the Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs, Ministry of Finance. It is tasked with detecting and curbing smuggling of contraband, including drug trafficking and illicit international trade.

#5. Operation Samudragupt: Launched in January 2022, Op Samudragupt is a joint initiative by the Indian Navy and the NCB to combat drug trafficking in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). NCB also shared real time actionable information on drug smuggling to IOR countries. In 2023, the NCB and Navy seized 2,525 kg of “high-purity methamphetamine” off the coast of Kochi. The seized methamphetamine was of superior grade,with an estimated market value to Rs 25,000 crore. It was part of the Death Crescent Region (comprising Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran).

#6. Operation NARCOS: In June 2022, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) launched a special drive aimed at curbing the smuggling of drugs on trains. RPF intensified its checks in trains and identified black spots across the country in coordination with NCB to target drug peddlers involved in this illegal trade.

Death (Golden) Crescent and Death (Golden) Triangle

1. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), two significant regions of drug production and drug trafficking are the “Golden Crescent” and “Golden Triangle”. Golden Crescent includes illicit opium production areas in Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan; and the “Golden Triangle” covers Myanmar, Thailand, and Laos.

2. “India has been seen as sandwiched between the Death (Golden) Crescent and Death (Golden) Triangle. The country is being flooded with drugs, especially heroin and methamphetamine, from these two regions. Nearly 90 per cent of the world’s demand for these drugs is being met from these two regions. India is both a big market and a transit route for other countries,” wrote Rakesh Asthana.

3. In 2023, Union Home Minister while speaking at conference on ‘Drugs Smuggling and National Security’ said that “Earlier the main area of drug smuggling was called ‘Golden Triangle’ and ‘Golden Crescent’, but the government of India has proposed internationally that it should be named as ‘Death Triangle’ and ‘Death Crescent’. This approach shows the direction and intensity of our fight against drugs.”

BEYOND THE NUGGET: World Drug Report 2025

1. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) launched the World Drug Report, which provides a scientific and impartial overview of drug trends and patterns around the world.

2. According to the report titled “Global instability compounding social, economic and security costs of the world drug problem”, 316 million people used a drug (excluding alcohol and tobacco) in 2023, or six per cent of the population aged between 15 and 64, compared to 5.2 per cent of the population in 2013.

3. Cannabis was the most widely used drug with 244 million users, followed by opioids (61 million), amphetamines (30.7 million), cocaine (25 million), and “ecstasy” (21 million). The report warns that the new groups of vulnerable people fleeing hardship, instability and conflict could cause these numbers to increase further.

4. The report also pointed to the cost of failing to tackle drug use disorders – nearly half a million deaths and 28 million healthy years of life lost due to disability and premature deaths (DALY) in 2021. Just one in 12 people with drug use disorders were estimated to have received any form of drug treatment in 2023.

5. Region-specific, the report highlighted that the gender gap in cannabis use in Asia is the largest globally; 90 in every 100 people who used cannabis in the past year were men. Also, Asia accounts for the largest number of people who inject drugs worldwide (5.2 million in 2022) and, within that group, of those living with HIV (615,000) and hepatitis C (2.8 million).

 Post Read Question

Consider the following countries:

1. Afghanistan

2. Iran

3. Pakistan

Which of the following countries forms part of the Death (Golden) triangle?

(a) 1, 2, and 3

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 2 only

(d) None

(Sources: https://narcoticsindia.nic.in/, Operation Crystal Fortress: How police zeroed in on a Rs 262-crore stash of meth in box-bed, https://dri.nic.in, unodc.org, International Day Against Drug Abuse 2025: Know the date, theme, history, and significance, Knowledge Nugget: What must you know about Opioid Fentanyl for UPSC?

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