India sees alarming surge in NDPS cases, drug seizures

New Delhi: As NCRB and NCB data reveals the sharp surge in drug-related offences and narcotics seizures under the NDPS Act. Statistics also point out that the situation is one of a developing crisis regarding the use, distribution, and easy availability of narcotics drugs in the country.

The cases registered under the NDPS Act shot up between 2018 and 2022 from 63,137 to 115,236. The number of arrests in these cases also surged, from 81,778 to 144,812 in the same time period. Drug trafficking was also a salient feature in most of these cases. These have increased sharply over the years, from 24,422 cases in 2018 to 38,064 in 2022. Trafficking arrests increased proportionately from 33,290 to 58,772, which indicates the seriousness of law enforcement and greater trafficking networks.

This time scale of drug seizures has left a rather grim picture regarding this growing menace. In the year 2022 alone, authorities seized 337,169 kgs of opium-based drugs and 1.71 million kgs of cannabis, mainly ganja. Cocaine seizures also increased to 71.8 kgs in the same year. Medical narcotics, which include cough syrups and pills, have also been a cause for concern, as more than 17.4 million units were confiscated in 2022.

Narcotics destruction efforts have reached unprecedented levels from 2019 to 2023. More than 690,000 kilograms of ganja were destroyed in 2022, and nearly 146,631 kgs of poppy straw in 2023. Enforcement agencies also incinerated 1,380 kilograms of heroin in 2023, bringing the total destruction to approximately 865,547 kgs in 2022 alone.

Experts feel that the surge and seizures are also evidence of better policing and further an increase in influence from drug trafficking networks.