AMRITSAR, June 30 — As drone-driven smuggling continues unabated from across the Pakistan border, the Border Security Force (BSF) has recovered over 130 drones and seized nearly 135 kilograms of narcotics from Punjab’s international border in the first six months of 2025, senior BSF officials said Monday.
From January 1 to June 30, the BSF also confiscated 79 illegal weapons of various types, pointing to the persistent threat posed by cross-border criminal networks.
“Drones remain the preferred tool for smugglers to drop consignments of drugs, weapons and fake currency,” a BSF officer said. The Amritsar-Tarn Taran belt and the Ferozepur region have emerged as key hotspots for these illegal aerial incursions.
Last year, the BSF neutralised 294 drones along the Punjab border and seized 283 kilograms of narcotics — a sharp rise from 107 drone recoveries in 2023, underlining the increasing scale and sophistication of cross-border operations.
According to BSF officials, the majority of the drug consignments were delivered by drones launched from Pakistan. “Most of the drones recovered are Chinese-made Mavic series, capable of carrying 450-550 grams per flight, often wrapped in yellow adhesive tape,” an officer said.
The border force is countering the growing drone menace through intensified surveillance, anti-drone technologies, and tactical upgrades. “Every incursion is tracked, intercepted and recovered with precision. We’ve also developed our own intelligence network for real-time drone movement monitoring,” the officer added.
Operational strategies are regularly reviewed, with BSF collaborating closely with the Punjab Police to intercept consignments and arrest suspects. Coordination meetings with multiple law enforcement agencies have become routine to share inputs and streamline joint action.
Punjab’s 553-km international border with Pakistan, though largely fenced, includes unfenced riverine sections along the Sutlej, which remain difficult to monitor due to challenging terrain.
In a parallel effort, the Punjab government has begun procuring anti-drone systems of its own and has deployed home guards in vulnerable zones to support BSF patrols and contain smuggling activity.
The BSF, which handles peacetime management of India’s borders with Pakistan across Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, and Jammu & Kashmir, reports Punjab as the sector with the highest rate of drone recoveries and narcotics seizures.
