NCB cripples drug cartel finances
AMRITSAR: In a significant move highlighting the government’s determination to break the financial backbone of drug trafficking groups, the Competent Authority and Administrator for the purposes of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, has ordered confirmation of freezing assets worth more than Rs 25.5 crore.
The October 10, 2025, order under Section 68F(2) of the NDPS Act comes after a thorough financial probe by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Amritsar Zonal Unit.
The action is a result of a case which was registered following the seizure of 34,372 Tramadol tablets belonging to a local pharmaceutical network from Amritsar.
The first seizure order was issued on September 11, 2025, and further investigation led to large-scale diversion of drug proceeds into real estate and business ventures.
The seized assets amount to two immovable properties — one in Amritsar for Rs 10.5 crore and another in Tarn Taran for Rs 15 crore — said to belong to two accused who are suspected to have bought them using narcotics proceeds.
The Competent Authority and Administrator, after considering evidence and hearing both sides, held that the assets were obtained illegally and are thus liable for action under Chapter VA of the NDPS Act, which authorises the government to forfeit properties obtained through illegal drug trade.
The NCB says that the order of confirmation is a change in the enforcement strategy of the agency—going beyond simple drug seizures and arrests to aggressively follow the money trail of drug trafficking. Tracing, freezing, and ultimately seizing assets bought with drug money, the Bureau seeks to dismantle the economic base of the drug cartels and discourage future trafficking.
“Financial investigation is now a central pillar of our enforcement framework,” said an NCB official, explaining that it is not merely a matter of arresting the traffickers but that the aim is to make them forfeit the money gained by the drug trade.
As per orders from NCB Headquarters, parallel financial investigations have been ordered to be conducted in all major NDPS cases by each zonal unit. These investigations are for the purpose of tracing benami properties, assets purchased in the names of relatives or friends, and other unlawful holdings. Schemes for attachment and freezing are being forwarded to the Competent Authority under Sections 68E and 68F of the Act.
