India’s geographical location makes it particularly vulnerable to drug trafficking.
NEW DELHI: India is engaged in a significant battle against the escalating drug menace, with a surge in drug-related cases and arrests revealing the growing scale of the problem. In two separate incidents on Thursday and Friday, law enforcement agencies seized 700 kg of methamphetamine and 82.53 kg of high-grade cocaine, respectively. The methamphetamine was intercepted from a vessel operating in Indian territorial waters near Gujarat, while the cocaine was recovered from Delhi.
The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has arrested 10 individuals in connection with these seizures, including eight Iranian nationals found aboard the intercepted boat.
According to official data, the NCB has registered 393,948 cases and made 501,469 arrests over a five-year period from 2019 to 2023. The number of cases and arrests has increased dramatically since 2021. In 2019, the NCB registered 57,867 cases, leading to 74,620 arrests, a number that dipped slightly in 2020 possibly due to Covid-19 restrictions, with 55,622 cases and 73,841 arrests. However, since 2021, the figures have risen sharply: 68,144 cases and 93,538 arrests in 2021; 102,769 cases and 126,516 arrests in 2022; and 109,546 cases and 132,954 arrests in 2023.
The NCB, as the nodal agency, is tasked with combating the abuse of and illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. While these staggering figures reflect the government’s increasing resolve and action to tackle the production, marketing, and consumption of illegal drugs, they also reveal the alarming scale of the drug problem the country faces.
This year alone, law enforcement agencies have seized at least 6,500 kg of drugs, including charas, methamphetamine, morphine, cocaine, marijuana, brown sugar, and mephedrone, with an estimated market value of at least Rs 20,000 crore. This includes a major seizure of 3,300 kg of drugs in the Arabian Sea in February, 518 kg of cocaine worth Rs 5,000 crore seized in Bharuch, 560 kg of cocaine and 40 kg of hydroponic marijuana seized on October 1 from Delhi, 208 kg of cocaine worth Rs 2,080 crore seized on October 10 in Delhi, and 908 kg of mephedrone seized from Bhopal in October.
Official sources say that India’s geographical location makes it particularly vulnerable to drug trafficking. The country lies between the world’s largest producers of heroin and synthetic drugs, including Southwest Asian countries like Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, as well as Southeast Asian nations. This makes India both a transit point and a major consumption hub for illegal narcotics. The issue is further compounded by India’s porous international borders with Nepal and Bangladesh, along with a long maritime boundary that is difficult to monitor comprehensively.
According to law enforcement officials, cocaine and heroin are the most trafficked drugs, often moved through air cargo and by air passengers. These traffickers primarily originate from African and Middle Eastern countries, with destinations mainly being Delhi, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Jaipur, and other major Indian airports. Nationalities most commonly linked to these trafficking routes include those from Uganda, Zambia, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Mozambique, and South Africa.
Like the law enforcement agencies, the drug traffickers adapt themselves by studying arrest patterns and seizures and adjusting their operations to evade detection, making the job of the officials even more challenging.
A senior official from one of the law enforcement agencies stated that the trafficking and abuse of drugs have reached alarming proportions in some parts of the country, and that the government needs to adopt more stringent measures against drug traffickers, including using the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (PITNDPS). This act allows authorities to issue a preventive detention order, enabling the seizure, freezing, and forfeiture of illegally acquired properties of the individuals involved, including those of their relatives and associates. The Act, which has the potential to serve as a significant deterrent, is still underutilized, with many officers unaware of its full scope and application.