240% rise in heroin seizure in five years: NCB

New Delhi, February 15

There has been an exponential rise of around 240 per cent in the seizure of drugs in India in the past five years, as confiscation of heroin increased from 2,146 kg in 2017 to 7,282 kg in 2021, Director General (DG) of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) SN Pradhan said today.

The NCB chief made the announcement while inaugurating “Darkathon 2022” which will conclude on April 22. The event is aimed at finding solutions to drug trafficking through the darknet.

Revealing the changing trend in drug trafficking and abuse scenario, the NCB DG highlighted the UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime) World Drug Report 2021, which says that 94 per cent of the sales in darknet markets are related to drugs.

Pradhan said, “In the last five years, the country has witnessed an exponential increase in the seizure of heroin — from 2,146 kg seized in 2017 to 7,282 kg in 2021, about 240 per cent rise. This is because of effective enforcement activities.

“There is an increase of 72 per cent in the seizure of opium — from 2,551 kg in 2017 to 4,386 kg in 2021 — and 91 per cent increase in the seizure of cannabis, from 3,52,539 kg in 2017 to 6,75,631 kg in 2021,” the NCB DG said.

Darknet denotes the hidden internet platforms that can only be accessed using specialised software and pre-configured communication protocols for anonymous communication. Drugs cartels and syndicates are known to use this to stay off the radar of law-enforcement agencies.

Trafficking through darknet

Darknet denotes hidden internet platforms that can only be accessed using specialised software and pre-configured communication protocols for anonymous communication. Drugs cartels and syndicates are known to use this to stay off the radar of law-enforcement agencies.