NCB Report Flags Rising Foreign Involvement in Drug Peddling; Experts Warn of Larger Geopolitical Undercurrents
In the past year, 660 foreign nationals were arrested across India on charges of drug peddling, according to the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) annual report. Among those arrested, the largest numbers came from Nepal (203), Nigeria (106), and Myanmar (25).
The list also included 18 Bangladeshis, 14 from the Ivory Coast, 13 from Ghana, and 10 from Iceland, underlining how international cartels are deeply embedded in India’s narcotics trade.
But the issue may not stop at mere narcotics peddling. In today’s volatile global order, some of these individuals could also be acting as undercover operatives for countries seeking to destabilise India. While concrete proof is yet to surface, the possibility cannot be dismissed.
Nations that aspire to project themselves as global power centers have often used indirect methods — from drug cartels to insurgencies — as tools of hybrid warfare.
Drones, Border Routes, and New Challenges
The NCB data shows a disturbing rise in drone-enabled smuggling. In Punjab alone, 163 drone-related incidents were reported, leading to seizures of 187.149 kg of heroin, 5.39 kg of methamphetamine, and 4.22 kg of opium. In Rajasthan, 15 drone cases yielded 39.155 kg heroin, while in Jammu & Kashmir, one drone case led to a recovery of 0.344 kg heroin.
Highlighting the geographical vulnerability, NCB Director General Anurag Garg said India lies between the “Death Crescent” (Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran) and the “Death Triangle” (Myanmar, Thailand, Laos) — two of the world’s most notorious drug-producing regions.
According to Garg, Punjab, Rajasthan, and J&K are gateways for heroin smuggling from Pakistan, while the northeastern states remain exposed to Myanmar’s drug corridors. Meanwhile, India’s coastal routes — Mumbai, Gujarat, Kerala, Tamil Nadu — are increasingly targeted for synthetic drugs and precursors.
Amit Shah’s Tough Message: Cartels Must Be Broken
At the second national conference of Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) heads, Union Home Minister Amit Shah stressed that the fight must now go beyond arresting petty peddlers. He identified three levels of cartels:
- Those operating at international entry points.
- Those distributing narcotics across states.
- Those handling retail-level sales in smaller towns and cities.
Shah urged states to adopt cutting-edge technologies like darknet tracking, cryptocurrency monitoring, logistics mapping, financial flow scrutiny, and machine learning models to dismantle these networks.
He further underlined the need to target drug lords sitting abroad, many of whom orchestrate operations remotely. “The time has come to bring those people within the ambit of law who sit abroad and run the drug trade in the country,” Shah declared, adding that extradition and deportation must become top priorities.
Beyond Drugs: The Shadow of Geopolitics
Shah also cautioned that drug cartels often overlap with terrorism networks. This raises a serious question: could some of these foreign nationals, ostensibly arrested for drug peddling, actually be linked to covert operations funded by countries seeking to weaken India from within?
In today’s world, where asymmetric warfare has become a preferred tool, it is entirely plausible that narcotics routes are being used not just for profit but also for strategic destabilisation.
Indeed, there is one major power — unnamed but unmistakable in its influence — that has already meddled in the internal affairs of India’s neighborhood. Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and lately Nepal have witnessed political or economic turbulence believed to have been engineered or exacerbated by external players.
For nearly a decade, attempts have been made to test India through similar methods — whether through terror attacks, insurgencies, economic disruptions, or mass agitations. Yet, Indian diplomacy, security apparatus, and leadership have successfully weathered these storms.
Still, the battle is far from over. As global power equations shift, India must remain vigilant. The geopolitical chessboard never sleeps, and the “grandmasters” plotting destabilisation are constantly searching for new moves.
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