Amit Shah Vows Tough Action On Drug Cartels, Retail Drug Sellers

Union Home Minister Amit Shah called for decisive measures to dismantle international narcotics networks operating from abroad, emphasising the Narendra Modi government's resolve to eradicate drug trafficking and abuse across India. Speaking at the inauguration of the second National Conference of Heads of Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) of states and Union Territories, organised by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Shah highlighted the need to target fugitives directing operations remotely.

The two-day event, themed "United Resolve, Shared Responsibility", brings together leaders from all states and UTs to review anti-drug strategies and chart a path toward a drug-free India by 2047, aligning with Prime Minister Modi's vision for a developed nation. Established in 2021 at Shah's directive, ANTFs coordinate with the NCB's National Coordination Centre for Online Monitoring of Drug-Related Communications (NCORD) to enhance enforcement.

Shah outlined a "triangular strategy" for combating narcotics: a ruthless approach to sever supply chains, strategic measures for demand reduction, and humane interventions for harm reduction. He stressed targeting three cartel tiers—smuggling at entry points, mid-level distribution, and retail sales of small packets ("pudiya") at paan shops and kiosks—urging ANTF heads to collaborate with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for extraditions.

"The time has come to bring those who run the drug trade in India by sitting abroad within the ambit of the law," Shah said, noting that such actions would also disrupt terrorism networks. He pointed to regional threats, with two major global supply hubs neighbouring India, underscoring the urgency to protect the youth as the "foundation of any great nation".

Highlighting achievements, Shah contrasted the previous UPA government's decade-long seizures of drugs worth Rs 40,000 crore with the NDA's Rs 1.65 lakh crore over the past 10 years, a figure bolstered by 2024's record Rs 16,914 crore haul—the highest since Independence. He advocated a holistic, top-to-bottom and bottom-to-top campaign, including the NCB's "Narcotics-Free India" initiative, which requires district-level police and education officials to foster sensitivity. The NCB has intensified coordination with the GST department, state drug controllers, income tax authorities, and financial institutions to expose diversion networks.

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During the conference, Shah initiated the destruction of 1.37 lakh kg of seized narcotics valued at Rs 4,794 crore and launched an online drug disposal campaign. On Monday, he released the NCB's Annual Report 2024, detailing a seven-fold increase in seizures from 3.63 kg (2004-2014) to 24 lakh kg (2014-2024). The event features eight technical sessions on topics like fugitive extraditions and financial investigations, reinforcing a zero-tolerance policy to secure India's future.

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