Punjab second in drug trafficking cases: NCB

Punjab and Uttar Pradesh (UP) are placed joint second in terms of drug trafficking cases registered in the states last year. Delhi has topped with 208 cases.

According to the figures released by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Punjab and UP registered 193 cases each last year and Haryana logged 113. Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh recorded 103 and 102 cases, respectively.

Punjab topped the list of states in terms of the seizure of heroin. A whopping 1,150 kg of the drug was confiscated in the state in 2024. Haryana seized 63 kg of heroin and the union territory of J&K 114 kg.

Among northern states, Haryana led in the seizure of ganja. The state confiscated a whopping 9,955 kg of the narcotic followed by the union territory of J&K (1,168 kg) and Punjab (863 kg). In the country, Andhra Pradesh topped with 53,983 kg, while Maharashtra stood second with a seizure of 55,351 kg of ganja.

In terms of cocaine seizures, Delhi topped among states with a record 1,396 kg. Maharashtra stood a distant second with only 37 kg.

NCB sources said the use of drones for cross-border smuggling of narcotics had emerged as a significant threat to the country's internal security, mainly along the India-Pakistan border in Punjab. They said there had been a sharp rise in drone sightings and seizures of narcotics in border districts of Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Ferozepur and Gurdaspur. In 2024, they said the number of such seizures rose manifold to 179 compared to just three in 2021. The recovery consignments mainly consisted of heroin and opium.

Last year, 163 cases of smuggling of drugs through drones were recorded in Punjab. The maximum 187 kg of heroin was sent into the state via drones. The other drugs included 5 kg of methamphetamine and 4 kg of opium.

Sources within the agency expressed concern over the growing challenge in combating narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances due to geographic locations between the Death Crescent (Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran) and Death Triangle (Mynmar, Thailand and Laos), the two major drug-producing regions of the world.

While states of Punjab, Rajasthan as well as the union territory of J&K are vulnerable to heroin smuggling from Pakistan, the northeastern states are affected by proximity to Myanmar. The emergence of darknet markets and cryptocurrency-based transactions have significantly transformed drug trafficking by providing traffickers with enhanced anonymity and global accessibility. The convergence of darknet platforms and digital currencies along with courier services presented a formidable challenge to the DLEAs globally.

After the Coronavirus pandemic, there was a rise in use of courier and postal services for drug smuggling, offering traffickers greater anonymity and direct access to consumers.

With 110 convictions and 64 acquittals, the overall conviction rate in narcotics cases last year stood at 60.7% for the NCB. Amritsar had three convictions and zero acquittals while Chandigarh had six convictions and four acquittals.