New Delhi, July 30: The Government of India has intensified its efforts to combat drug trafficking by strengthening enforcement mechanisms, inter-agency coordination and digital intelligence systems across the country, the Ministry of Home Affairs said.
In a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said Drug Law Enforcement Agencies (DLEAs) are actively enforcing the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, resulting in significant drug seizures, arrests, case registrations, disposal of seized narcotics, destruction of illicit cultivation and financial investigations.
According to data reported by all DLEAs to the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), agencies seized 13,89,725 kg of drugs in 2023, 13,30,600 kg in 2024 and 12,40,984 kg in 2025. The number of cases registered stood at 1,09,546 in 2023, 96,930 in 2024 and 1,48,063 in 2025, while arrests increased from 1,32,954 in 2023 to 1,22,224 in 2024 and 1,83,675 in 2025.
The government has also strengthened the four-tier Narco-Coordination (NCORD) mechanism at the Apex, Executive, State and District levels to improve coordination among Central ministries, State governments and enforcement agencies. So far, 10 Apex NCORD meetings and seven Executive NCORD meetings have been held, along with 272 State NCORD meetings and 16,187 District NCORD meetings across the country.
The government has also expanded the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) framework, with ANTFs now notified in all 36 States and Union Territories. The NCB prepared and shared a template for an ideal State ANTF with State and UT governments in June 2026. In a move to expand the geographical reach of the NCB, its Zonal Offices have been increased from 13 to 30 across the country. The government has also approved six new Zonal Offices at Port Blair, Dimapur, Aizawl, Shimla, Shillong and Gangtok.
The NCB has further developed the National Integrated Database on Arrested Narco-Offenders (NIDAAN), which integrates data on persons arrested under the NDPS Act by Drug Law Enforcement Agencies across the country. The database currently contains around 9.50 lakh searchable records of persons arrested and convicted under the NDPS Act.
The data also showed that agencies disposed of 7,62,015 kg of seized drugs in 2023, 4,51,088 kg in 2024 and 10,08,816 kg in 2025. During the same period, 31,786 acres of illicit poppy cultivation were destroyed in 2023, 22,898 acres in 2024 and 42,685 acres in 2025. Cannabis cultivation destroyed stood at 23,694 acres in 2023, 37,336 acres in 2024 and 38,219 acres in 2025.
Financial investigations also increased, with properties frozen or seized in 587 cases in 2023, 1,053 cases in 2024 and 1,356 cases in 2025. The value of such properties stood at Rs. 276 crore, Rs. 666 crore and Rs. 836 crore respectively. Detention orders issued under the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (PITNDPS) Act, 1988, also rose from 450 in 2023 to 531 in 2024 and 810 in 2025.
The government said the NCORD Portal serves as a platform for drug- and NCB-related information and as a Knowledge Management System for all four tiers of the NCORD mechanism, while also maintaining information on the Centre’s anti-drug abuse initiatives.
