Book Launch
By Ratnajyoti Dutta
New Delhi, 25 May: Transnational criminal networks, illicit supply chains, and black-market architectures are systematically re-engineering the modern global economic order, said security and defence experts on Monday.
To address these critical global vulnerabilities, strategic leadership expert and veteran Major Namrata Dhasmana officially launched her book, Underworld Tyranny: The Traffickers’ Reign Unveiled, at the India International Centre (IIC).
The author claimed that the volume is the first global strategic resource to deconstruct the intersection of the world’s three major illicit trades—Narcotics, Human Trafficking, and Wildlife Crimes—under a single cover.
Moving beyond localised analysis, the book exposes how multi-billion-dollar syndicates weaponise identical shadow financial systems, corrupted trade routes, and geopolitical chokepoints.
Chief Guest Yashovardhan Azad, IPS (Retd), lauded the depth of the research. “I was astounded by the range of topics covered in this book, especially its focus on human and wildlife trafficking,” said Azad, who previously served as Special Director of the Intelligence Bureau and Central Information Commissioner.
Azad expressed surprise that wildlife poachers still thrive despite modern satellite mapping and drone surveillance. Azad called for urgent public awareness regarding narco-terrorism in Northeast India, particularly in Manipur, which shares a porous international border with Myanmar.
Myanmar sits within the infamous Golden Triangle alongside Thailand and Laos—one of the world’s most active drug corridors, according to experts. Historically known for opium and heroin, the region has pivoted to industrial-scale manufacturing of synthetic drugs like ketamine and methamphetamine, they added. Meanwhile, the neighbouring Golden Crescent—comprising Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan—remains the world’s leading hub for illicit opium trade.
“Our west coast is prone to narcotic trafficking for being closer to the Golden Crescent,” Azad said.
Reacting to the devastating global impact of these networks, distinguished panellist Major General Sanjay Soi suggested rebranding these zones.
“Instead of Golden, they should be termed the ‘Black Triangle’ and ‘Black Crescent’ to reflect the negativity they inflict on the world,” said Soi, an international affairs and defence expert.
Underworld Tyranny leverages a sharp analytical framework to map how rogue syndicates drive contemporary conflict economics, the author said.
During the launch, the cross-disciplinary panel explored how these networks manipulate maritime chokepoints and exploit regulatory blind spots to fund regional instability, directly impacting legal corporate supply chains, technology corridors, and national sovereignty.
