India’s failing war on drugs

Over the past decade, India has witnessed an alarming surge in drug trafficking as authorities struggle to curb the flow of illegal narcotics and the international syndicates that move them.

Beyond the headlines about record-breaking seizures and intensified law enforcement efforts, the scale of the contraband intercepted points to porous borders and insufficient preventive measures.

The crisis is not just an enforcement challenge—it has deep social, economic and geopolitical implications that affect the everyday lives of ordinary Indians and future stability of the state.

Data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) shows a dramatic rise in drug-related cases. In 2023, over 100,000 drug seizures were reported, up from 70,000 in 2014—a nearly 43% increase in just a decade.

This escalation, while reflecting increased enforcement, also reveals that India’s borders remain vulnerable and traffickers continue to exploit weaknesses.

The Indian Ministry of Home Affairs reported a surge in the trafficking of heroin, methamphetamines and cannabis, with heroin seizures doubling from 1,300 kilograms in 2017 to 2,400 kilograms in 2022.

One of the primary hotspots is the India-Pakistan border. Drug syndicates are exploiting particularly weak surveillance in Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir.

In 2022, Punjab police seized 440 kilograms of heroin, a 35% increase from 2020. Meanwhile, drug smuggling via India’s coastal routes has also spiked. In 2023, 3,000 kilograms of narcotics were intercepted along the Gujarat coastline, a 50% jump from 2018 that has exposed systemic gaps in maritime security.

While government officials claim these higher seizures reflect improved enforcement, they are symptomatic of a broader failure. The