NCB plans year-long anti-drug crackdown with fortnightly drives from September

Anti-narcotics agencies will launch a year-long nationwide enforcement campaign from September, carrying out a series of fortnight-long drives targeting drug traffickers, fugitives, illegal pharmaceutical diversion and other parts of the narcotics supply chain.

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has asked states and central agencies involved in combating drug crimes to conduct 24 special drives, each lasting 15 days, until August 2027. The campaign is aimed at supplementing regular enforcement operations with focused, time-bound action against specific aspects of the illicit drug trade. An awareness programme targeting students in schools and colleges has already been under way since August 16, while enforcement operations will formally begin next month.

Foreign offenders, fugitives first targets

The September campaign will begin with a drive to identify foreign nationals involved in narcotics offences across the country so that action can be initiated for their deportation.

The following fortnight will focus on tracking down and apprehending absconding narcotics offenders. Agencies will also prepare detailed dossiers on fugitives involved in drug-related crimes as the campaign progresses.

The plan seeks to bring together the NCB, state police forces, Anti-Narcotics Task Forces and other central agencies so that enforcement efforts are coordinated rather than carried out independently.

The NCB, which functions under the Union Home Ministry, is the central nodal authority for drug-related issues and coordinates action among central and state agencies under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.

Pharmacies to face inspections

Beginning in October, authorities will turn their attention to the diversion of pharmaceutical drugs into the illegal narcotics market.

NCB teams and Anti-Narcotics Task Forces of states and Union Territories will conduct inspections of medical stores and pharmacies in coordination with jurisdictional drug controllers. The exercise will look for pharmaceutical products being illegally diverted from legitimate supply chains for trafficking or abuse.

Other phases of the campaign will focus on maritime trafficking. Coastal communities will be sensitised about the movement of narcotics through sea routes and encouraged to assist authorities with information about suspicious activities.

In the second half of December, agencies will carry out coordinated checks at India's entry and exit points, including airports, seaports and land borders.

Illicit cultivation on radar

The enforcement focus will shift to illegal cultivation in the second fortnight of January 2027. Agencies will identify and destroy illicit crops used for producing narcotic substances.

In the first half of February, the campaign will move towards chemical industries, where authorities will conduct awareness activities aimed at preventing the diversion of precursor chemicals used in the clandestine manufacture of drugs.

Joint inspections of prisons are scheduled for the second half of February, reflecting concerns over narcotics networks operating in or through correctional facilities.

The action plan also envisages special campaigns involving educational institutions and young people. These will include sports-based engagement programmes and exercises to verify drug-free campuses.

Darknet, crypto under scanner

Technology-driven trafficking will form another major component of the campaign. Anti-narcotics personnel will receive training to detect drug transactions and networks operating through the darknet and cryptocurrencies.

Officials will also be trained to tackle synthetic drugs and identify clandestine laboratories used for illegal drug manufacturing. Such capabilities have become increasingly important as trafficking networks adopt encrypted communications, digital payments and new methods of producing and distributing narcotics.

The 24 campaigns are intended to reinforce the regular targets assigned to enforcement agencies under the National Vision Document for Narcotics Control 2026-29. The NCB believes that carrying out coordinated operations around specific themes will strengthen cooperation between agencies while increasing public awareness about drug abuse and trafficking. The larger objective, officials said, is to combine enforcement, prevention and public participation in pursuit of the government's goal of a Nasha Mukt Bharat, or drug-free India.