There has been a significant rise in the reporting of sightings and recovery of drug-laden drones coming into India from Pakistan across the international border in Punjab over the last four years. This poses a serious threat to the nation’s internal security. The observation was made by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in its annual report of 2024, which then added that the anti-narcotics agencies have also witnessed a six-time increase in the seizure of synthetic drugs between 2019-24.
The report was released by the Union Home Minister Amit Shah during the second national conference of heads of anti-narcotics task force (ANTF) of various states and UTs that he inaugurated on Tuesday. NCB is a federal anti-narcotics agency under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
"The use of drones for cross-border smuggling of narcotics has emerged as a significant threat to India's internal security, particularly along the Pakistan border in Punjab. This evolving modus operandi has replaced traditional smuggling methods and poses a complex challenge for law enforcement and border security agencies," the report cites.
The report added that there has been a sharp increase in drone sightings and recoveries of narcotics in border districts of the state, like Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Ferozepur, and Gurdaspur. In 2024, the number of such seizures "rose manifold", reaching 179 cases as compared to just three cases in 2021. The recovered drug consignments largely included heroin and opium, the report added.
Out of the 179 cases of drug trafficking through drones along the India-Pakistan border reported last year, 163 took place in Punjab, 15 along the same front in Rajasthan, and one in Jammu and Kashmir. The overall drugs recovered weighed 236 kgs, as mentioned in the report, which then added that a "significant" trend was noticed with the seizure of six times higher synthetic drugs over the last six years (2019-24) in the country. These drugs included ATS (amphetamine type stimulants), MDMA, mephedrone, and methaqualone abused mainly by youngsters.
"In 2024, about 11,994 kgs of synthetic drugs were seized compared to just 1,890 kgs in 2019. This sharp rise is primarily driven by the high profitability and increasing market demand for these substances," said the report.
In 2020, 1,989 kgs, 657 kgs in 2021, 4,216 kgs in 2022, and 4,209 kgs in 2023 of synthetic drugs were seized in India.
In 2024, seizures from the maritime (sea) amounted to 10,564 kgs, witnessing a nearly 500-fold surge as compared to 2019, the report stated. India's "strategic" location in the Indian Ocean, as per the report, positions it as a key transit hub for heroin sourced from Afghanistan via the southern route.
The 'Death Crescent' (comprising countries of Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan) remains the "primary" source of heroin, ATS and hashish entering the country through the western coast, while the 'Death Triangle' (Maynamar, Laos, and Thailand) serves as the "main supplier" of synthetic drugs, particularly methamphetamine smuggled through India's eastern coast. The major ports for loading and shipping these consignments are Chabahar (Iran) and Gwadar and Karachi in Pakistan, the report said.
The country has also reported a "staggering" increase in seizures of cocaine. Last year, anti-narcotics agencies across India seized 1,483 kgs of cocaine, which was about 78 times higher than what was seized in 2020 and about five times higher than in 2023, according to the report. Other drugs that saw a "sharp" increase included mephedrone (also known as 4-MMC or meow meow), a much-abused party drug, as the agencies seized 3,359 kgs of the contraband across the country in 2024, as compared to 275 kgs in 2020.
Intake of drugs via injections was a “rising concern” last year. The agencies seized over 2.75 lakh units (injections) valued at Rs 4.54 crore, with states like Punjab and Maharashtra witnessing "high volumes" of their seizure, the report said.
It also said that an all-time high of detention orders at 531 were issued under the rarely used provisions of the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (PITNDPS) Act, resulting in the detention of 483 people during 2024 as compared to 93 detentions under 107 such orders during 2020.
The Union Home Ministry has been asking anti-drugs agencies to use PITNDPS more often to target drug cartels, kingpins, and financiers. The Act provides for the "detention of persons concerned in any manner with illicit traffic in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances for one or two years with a view to preventing them from engaging in such harmful and prejudicial activities".
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