Amit Shah Pledges to Eliminate Drug Cartels in India by 2029: Comprehensive Anti-Narcotics Strategy Revealed

Amit Shah was speaking at the Bihar Power Play conclave in Patna

Patna:

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has made a bold commitment to eradicate drug cartels across India by 2029. During a conversation with NDTV Editor-in-Chief and CEO Rahul Kanwal at the Bihar Power Play conclave in Patna, Shah highlighted that the government's anti-drug initiatives have been meticulously planned and executed over the past four years.

"We have implemented a comprehensive strategy from district to state to national government levels, and this plan has yielded significant results," Shah stated when questioned about whether drug cartels would be targeted with the same intensity as Maoist groups.

"The past three years have seen unprecedented numbers of arrests of drug traffickers and dealers," he emphasized.

"We've now reached a critical juncture where our focus must shift from merely disrupting drug trade to completely dismantling the cartels themselves, ensuring these networks are permanently destroyed. I am fully confident that within the next four years, through collaborative efforts between state governments and the Centre, we will eliminate drug cartels at district, state, and national levels," Shah declared.

The senior BJP leader also outlined the government's strategy for intercepting drug smuggling routes.

"We've identified three primary smuggling channels: waterways, the Pakistan border, and the Myanmar border. Comprehensive measures have been implemented to block all these routes," he explained.

According to a Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) report, last year witnessed the seizure of 1,483 kg of cocaine nationwide, representing a 78-fold increase compared to 2020 figures and approximately five times more than seizures in 2023.

The NCB's annual report for 2024, released in September, also noted substantial increases in other substances, particularly mephedrone (commonly known as 4-MMC or meow meow), a popular recreational drug. Authorities confiscated 3,359 kg of this substance across India in 2024, compared to 275 kg in 2020.

The federal anti-narcotics agency, which operates under Shah's Ministry of Home Affairs, additionally reported a dramatic rise in drug-laden drone sightings and interceptions along the India-Pakistan border in Punjab over the past four years.

These drones constitute a "significant" threat to national security, according to the report.

"Drone deployment for cross-border narcotics smuggling has emerged as a critical security concern for India, particularly along the Pakistani border in Punjab. This evolving methodology has superseded traditional smuggling techniques and presents complex challenges for law enforcement and border protection agencies," the report stated.

In 2024, such interceptions "increased dramatically" to 179 cases, compared with merely three cases documented in 2021. The intercepted shipments primarily contained heroin and opium, with total seizures amounting to approximately 236 kg.

The report identified the 'Death Crescent' (comprising Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan) as the "primary" source of heroin, Amphetamine-Type Stimulants (ATS), and hashish entering India through its western coastline, while the 'Death Triangle' (Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand) serves as the "main supplier" of synthetic drugs, particularly methamphetamine smuggled via India's eastern coast.

Injectable drug use was highlighted as a "growing concern," with agencies seizing over 275,000 units (injections) valued at Rs 4.54 crore in 2024, with Punjab and Maharashtra recording "high volumes" of such seizures, according to the report.