Faced with expanding border smuggling routes and a growing domestic market for synthetic narcotics, the government has targeted the eradication of the country’s illicit drug trade by December 31, 2029. At a conference of top anti-narcotics officers on Tuesday, Union home minister Amit Shah told senior enforcement officers they would have to change how they work: switch from meeting mode to mission mode, from reporting mode to delivering results, and from counting seizures to ending trafficking networks.
It will not be easy, he cautioned them. “The fight against drugs is the most difficult of all battles, but it can’t be abandoned and must be won by December 31, 2029,” Shah said.
How big is the challenge? Here is what the 2025 data tells us.
Stepped up
In 2025, law enforcement agencies across the country arrested 183,672 people in narcotics cases, up nearly 45% from 126,516 in 2022.
As part of the ongoing efforts, the government had told agencies to use preventive detention under the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (PITNDPS) Act. The law permits holding habitual traffickers for up to two years without bail and freezing illicit assets.
Shah has asked drug enforcement agencies to use this 1988 edition law to detain habitual or major drug players to curb their activities and also cripple their finances.
A government spokesperson said 811 of the 1,000 people identified nationwide for action under this law have already been taken into custody.
{{/usCountry}}A government spokesperson said 811 of the 1,000 people identified nationwide for action under this law have already been taken into custody.
{{/usCountry}}States with most cases and arrests
Kerala led nationwide in enforcement action with 42,880 arrests and 40,398 registered cases. Seizures included 5,976 kg of ganja alongside synthetic party drugs (23.6 kg MDMA and 1,567 LSD blots).
Punjab registered 30,808 cases and 38,477 arrests. Seizures include 19.1 million tablets, 35,531 kg of poppy husk, and over 2,085 kg of heroin.
Maharashtra reported 16,941 cases and 14,419 arrests with large quantities of opium (2,962 kg) and mephedrone. Seizures include 23,019 kg of marijuana, 2,962 kg of opium and 108 kg of cocaine.
Tamil Nadu registered 8,890 cases and 12,954 arrests, primarily involving ganja (25,256 kg) and synthetic pills.
Rajasthan registered 6191 cases and seized 163,885 kg of poppy husk, 59,196 kg of ganja, and 1,821 kg of opium.
Telangana recorded 7,786 arrests.
To be sure, a higher number of cases or seizures could also indicate that drug law enforcement agencies (DLEAs) are active, filing FIRs and making arrests regularly. Cases could also be higher due to the state’s size and population.)
Where the drugs were seized
Marijuana (Total seizures: 628,190 kg)
Odisha seized 219,542 kg (34.95%); Rajasthan 59,196 kg (9.42%); Andhra Pradesh: 45,912 kg (7.31%); Uttar Pradesh: 41,743 kg (6.64%) and West Bengal: 34,515 kg (5.49%). The five states accounted for 64% of the total seizures
In recent years, a new trend of smugglers trafficking hydroponic ganja(marijuana) has emerged. It is considered more potent and expensive in the drug trafficking market because it is grown in a controlled environment with artificial lights using water-based, nutrient-rich solutions. The THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) content is much higher in the hybrid variety, leading to a high demand for the drug in the market.
Heroin (Total seizures: 3,567 kg)
Punjab seized 2,085.55 kg (58.47%); West Bengal: 287.72 kg (8.07%); Haryana: 150.19 kg (4.21%); Uttar Pradesh: 140.00 kg (3.92%); Manipur: 129.11 kg (3.62%). The five states accounted for 78% of the total seizures
Hashish (Total seizures: 5,112 kg)
New Delhi seized 2,102.72 kg (41.13%); Uttar Pradesh: 655.89 kg (12.83%); Jammu and Kashmir: 558.83 kg (10.93%); Bihar: 378.72 kg (7.41%); and Himachal Pradesh: 376.76 kg (7.37%). The five states accounted for 80% of the total seizures
Opium (Total seizures: 8,094 kg)
Maharashtra seized 2,962 kg (36.60%); Rajasthan: 1,821 kg (22.50%); Punjab: 703 kg (8.69%); Uttar Pradesh: 487 kg (6.02%); and Assam: 371 kg (4.58%). The five states accounted for 78% of the total seizures
Amphetamine Type Stimulants (Total seizures: 3,269 kg)
Mizoram seized 1,477 kg (45.18%); Manipur: 535 kg (16.37%); New Delhi: 424 kg (12.97%); Gujarat: 308 kg (9.42%); Assam: 152 kg (4.65%). The five states accounted for 89% of the total seizures
Some other drug seizures
Mephedrone(street name: Meow Meow): Maharashtra 613.31 kg; Madhya Pradesh 114.86 kg; Rajasthan 61.70 kg; Tamil Nadu 41.05 kg; and Gujarat 20.29 kg. Maharashtra alone accounted for 72% of the 852kg seized nationwide
Tablets: Punjab 19,086,502; Uttar Pradesh 3754445; Assam 2957317; New Delhi 2,795,599; and Tripura 2,419,007. Punjab accounts for 49% of the nationwide seizure of 39,111,622 tablets.
Cocaine: Maharashtra 108.06 kg; New Delhi 55.49 kg; Tamil Nadu 15.60 kg; Karnataka 14.52 kg; and Goa, 5.88 kg
Is the 2029 target within reach?
Experts believe the 2029 target is ambitious but also achievable if all law enforcement agencies make it their priority. They also underlined that policing was only one part of the job; spreading awareness, convicting drug smugglers, and cutting off their finances was equally important.
Advocate LN Rao, who started practising law after spending decades in Delhi Police, said this was an achievable target if every force believes this is a priority and was being tracked by the home minister. “They won the war against naxals after setting a similar deadline. Police can ensure no one sells drugs in their area,” said Rao, a former deputy commissioner of police.
“The government must create drug awareness and ensure convictions. People will fear dealing in drugs when they see criminals receiving jail sentences. The whole society must come together. Even if they achieve 50% of their goal, this will be a big victory for the country,” he said.
KBS Sidhu, former special chief secretary of Punjab, said the deadline was welcome because it makes someone answerable, provided the right things are measured.
“Seizures and FIRs are inputs; the outcome is convicted kingpins and financiers, and their property attached. Punjab’s experience shows one integrated supply chain fought by half a dozen agencies that share intelligence badly. The Mundra heroin seizure(2021 drug bust) was the sixth consignment. Five had gone through. Cross-border drones now carry weapons with the drugs, so this is a national security issue. A courier is replaceable; capital is not. Follow the money, and let the ED attach the proceeds of crime, because the payment trail survives long after the consignment is gone. And treat demand: cut supply alone, and the trade reroutes,” he said.
.