The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Wednesday (March 25, 2026) discussed a number of issues at its quarterly meeting of the Union-level Joint Coordination Committee for Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh, including the identification of the top 10 syndicates operating in J&K.
“Discussion on drone-based drug busts and links to Punjab, identification of 10 largest syndicates operating in J&K, mapping of ‘hawala’ operators, hotspots and networks, analysis of low-entrapment districts to identify enforcement gaps, investigation of suspected financial transactions of narco offenders and drug scenario in UT Ladakh by Agency X.”
The meeting held in hybrid mode at Border Security Force (BSF) Frontier Headquarters (Jammu) was chaired by Deputy Director General NCB (North West Region) and was attended by officers of BSF, Directorate of Law Enforcement, Income Tax, Director of Revenue Intelligence (J&K), Union Territory Drug Control Department along with Narcotics Branch and Express Squads.
Over 4,300 drone sightings and nearly 970 incidents of incursions have been reported along India’s international borders in the last five years. The seizures led to the seizure of 641 kg of drugs, in addition to weapons and ammunition.
According to the NCB’s annual report released in September 2025, there has been a sharp increase in drone drug busts along the India-Pakistan border in Punjab. Seizures skyrocketed from just three cases in 2021 to 179 in 2024.
“The use of drones for cross-border narcotics smuggling has emerged as a significant threat to India’s internal security, particularly along the Indo-Pak border in Punjab…there has been a surge in drone sightings and narcotics recovery in border areas such as Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Ferozpur and Gurdaspur,” the report said, opthe, and Gurdaspur.
On Tuesday (March 24, 2026), the NCB held a similar meeting for Andhra Pradesh, during which officials concerned discussed issues related to evolving patterns of drug trafficking, inter-state and international linkages, investigation of financial and organized crime networks, monitoring of important prosecution cases and improving inter-agency coordination to curb drug trafficking in the state.
Published – 26 Mar 2026 01:33 IST
