An ominous picture of India’s increasing drug menace is presented in the Narcotics Control Bureau’s (NCB) Annual Report 2024, which also highlights the unprecedented use of Pakistani drones for cross-border drug smuggling.
Seizures of drug-laden drones have increased dramatically since 2021, according to the research, from only three occurrences in 2021 to 179 cases in 2024, with 163 of those cases taking place in Punjab, 15 in Rajasthan, and one in Jammu & Kashmir.
Particularly affected were the nearby districts of Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Ferozepur, and Gurdaspur; the majority of the 236 kg of illegal goods found were heroin and opium.
According to the research, traffickers may now circumvent physical obstacles and patrol observation thanks to drones, which have essentially supplanted traditional smuggling tactics and present a serious internal security threat.
The exponential six-fold increase in synthetic drug seizures from 2019 to 24 is also concerning since it suggests that urban populations, particularly young people, are developing deeper use patterns.
Almost 11,994 kilograms of synthetic narcotics (including ATS, MDMA, mephedrone, and methaqualone) were seized by authorities in 2024 alone, up from 1,890 kg in 2019. This significant increase was driven by demand and profitability. Mephedrone (also known as “meow meow”) and other synthetic compounds had a particularly steep increase, reaching 3,359 kg in 2024 from just 275 kg in 2020.
At the same time, there has been a startling 78-fold increase in cocaine seizures since 2020, with 1,483 kg of cocaine recovered in 2024. Meanwhile, marine drug seizures have increased dramatically to 10,564 kg in 2024, which is nearly 500 times higher than in 2019. Because of India’s advantageous location in the Indian Ocean, which puts it along the southern path of heroin trafficking from Afghanistan, maritime smuggling has become a major threat.
The “Death Crescent” (Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan) continues to be the epicentre for heroin, ATS, and hashish reaching India, while the “Death Triangle” (Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand) supports methamphetamine supply on the eastern front, according to the research, which goes into further detail on the global drug geography. Important ports such as Gwadar, Karachi, and Chabahar, Iran, are major hubs for trafficking shipments headed toward India’s coastlines.
With more than 2.75 lakh drug injection units valued at ₹4.54 crore seized in 2024, mostly from Punjab and Maharashtra, injectable drug addiction has also become a troubling trend on the home front.
483 traffickers and cartel operatives were imprisoned as a result of the government’s massive expansion of its use of the PITNDPS Act’s detention powers. In 2024, it issued 531 detention orders, the most ever, compared to just 107 in 2020.
The Home Ministry has instructed state agencies to take greater advantage of this clause in order to disrupt the kingpin-financier networks that are responsible for the influx of drugs. To make matters worse, the research notes that 25 kg of mescaline, a psychedelic hallucinogen, were found in trafficking routes in 2024, indicating a change in the cartels’ focus to hallucinogenic synthetic drugs.
Overall, the report emphasizes that India faces a multifaceted drug threat, with drones changing the definition of border smuggling, an increase in maritime seizures, and a surge in the demand for synthetic drugs. These factors all make enforcement more difficult and indicate that drug trafficking is a serious internal security concern that is linked to transnational criminal networks.
