The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Monday revealed that law enforcement agencies across the country, including the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), seized narcotics worth Rs 25,330 crore in 2024.
According to the MHA, this marks a 55 per cent increase as compared to 2023, when the total seizure was valued at Rs 16,100 crore.
An official statement attributed this success to the ‘Bottom-to-Top’ and ‘Top-to-Bottom’ approach implemented under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the guidance of Home Minister Amit Shah.
The Union Government has been advancing its ‘Whole-of-Government Approach’ with a zero-tolerance policy to create a drug-free India.
The statement further highlighted a significant increase in the seizure of highly addictive synthetic drugs, cocaine, and pharmaceutical substances used as psychotropic drugs, which are also of higher value.
In 2024, seizures of Amphetamine Type Stimulants (ATS), such as Methamphetamine, more than doubled —rising from 34 quintals in 2023 to 80 quintals in 2024. Similarly, cocaine seizures increased from 292 kg in 2023 to 1,426 kg in 2024.
The seizure of Mephedrone also saw a sharp increase, rising from 688 kg in 2023 to 3,391 kg in 2024. Hashish seizures grew from 34 quintals in 2023 to 61 quintals in 2024.
The confiscation of pharmaceutical drugs, increasingly abused as psychotropic substances, surged from 1.84 crore tablets in 2023 to 4.69 crore tablets in 2024.
The MHA highlighted several significant operations conducted by the NCB in collaboration with various agencies throughout 2024.
In February 2024, a crackdown on an international drug trafficking network, in collaboration with Delhi Police’s Special Cell, led to the arrest of three individuals and the seizure of 50 kg of the narcotic precursor Pseudoephedrine. The bust was based on intelligence provided by Australian and New Zealand authorities.
Similarly, under the Operation Sagar Manthan-1 in February 2024, a joint operation involving the NCB, the Indian Navy, and Gujarat ATS led to the seizure of 3,300 kg of drugs in the Indian Ocean.
This included 3,110 kg of charas/hashish, 158.3 kg of crystalline Methamphetamine, and 24.6 kg of suspected heroin. Five suspected foreign nationals were detained.
In April last year, in a maritime operation by the NCB, Gujarat ATS, and the Indian Coast Guard, a foreign vessel carrying 86 kg of heroin was intercepted. Fourteen Pakistani nationals were arrested, and the seized drugs were valued at approximately Rs 602 crore.
In October, a search operation in a factory in the Kasna Industrial Area, Gautam Budh Nagar, uncovered 95 kg of Methamphetamine in both solid and liquid forms.
Authorities also recovered large quantities of chemicals such as Acetone, Sodium Hydroxide, Methylene Chloride, Ethanol, Toluene, Red Phosphorus, and Ethyl Acetate, along with imported machinery used for drug production.
In November, the NCB made one of its largest-ever cocaine seizures in Delhi, recovering 82.53 kg of high-grade cocaine from locations in Janakpuri and Nangloi. This operation followed extensive investigations into multiple drug-related cases.
The MHA reaffirmed the Central
Government’s commitment to dismantling drug trafficking networks and intensifying efforts to curb the narcotics trade in India.