Chandigarh, September 20: Punjab and Uttar Pradesh recorded the second-highest number of drug trafficking cases in 2024, standing behind Delhi, according to the latest data from the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB). Delhi registered 208 cases, while Punjab and UP followed with 193 cases each. Haryana reported 113 cases, and Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh logged 103 and 102 cases, respectively.
In terms of drug seizures, Punjab topped the country in heroin recovery with 1,150 kg seized during 2024. Jammu and Kashmir reported 114 kg and Haryana 63 kg. Haryana also led in ganja seizures among northern states with 9,955 kg, followed by J&K (1,168 kg) and Punjab (863 kg). At the national level, Andhra Pradesh recorded the highest ganja seizure with 53,983 kg, while Maharashtra followed with 55,351 kg.
Delhi also led in cocaine seizures, with a record 1,396 kg seized last year. Maharashtra, the second-highest state, reported only 37 kg.
A senior NCB official mentioned that the use of drones for cross-border smuggling has become “a significant threat to national security, particularly along the India-Pakistan border in Punjab.” Data shows drone-based smuggling has risen sharply in the state, with 179 cases reported in 2024 compared to just three in 2021. Most consignments consisted of heroin and opium.
Punjab accounted for 163 drone-smuggling cases last year, with 187 kg of heroin seized, along with smaller recoveries of 5 kg methamphetamine and 4 kg opium. Rajasthan recorded 15 such cases, with 39 kg of heroin reportedly dropped from across the border.
Officials expressed concern that India’s location between two major global narcotics hubs — the “Death Crescent” (Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran) and the “Death Triangle” (Myanmar, Thailand and Laos) — makes it particularly vulnerable. “States such as Punjab, Rajasthan and J&K face heroin inflows from Pakistan, while northeastern states remain affected due to proximity to Myanmar,” an NCB source noted.
The report also underlined the growing role of darknet platforms, cryptocurrency transactions, and courier services in drug trafficking. The convergence of these tools, NCB said, has created “formidable challenges” by enabling traffickers to maintain anonymity and reach buyers directly. After the COVID-19 pandemic, use of courier and postal services surged in 2020, with 259 seizures that year. However, cases declined to 173 in 2024.
On the judicial front, the overall conviction rate in narcotics cases stood at 60.7 percent last year, with 110 convictions and 64 acquittals. Amritsar reported a 100 percent conviction rate with three convictions and no acquittals. Chandigarh recorded six convictions and four acquittals, resulting in a 60 percent rate.
Delhi also led in narcotics-related complaints filed in courts, with 30 cases in 2024. Chandigarh followed with 18, Jammu with 14, and Amritsar with nine.
