Intensive crackdown against drugs being smuggled from international border: Punjab Police

14/09/2026

Chandigarh, Sep 13: Due to the intensive crackdown against drugs being smuggled from across the international border with Pakistan in Punjab, there has been a change in the pattern of drug smuggling, with an increased focus on pharmaceutical drugs, police said on Sunday. Addiction to pharmaceutical drugs has started replacing heroin addiction as the number one challenge in drug law enforcement in Punjab, a police spokesperson said.
A multi-layered response to counter drone-based narcotic smuggling across the international border with Pakistan by the Border Security Force (BSF) and Punjab Police has led to a sharp decline in the availability of street heroin in Punjab, the spokesperson added. The Punjab Police is deploying nine anti-drone systems, with three such systems currently operational in Amritsar, Tarn Taran and Ferozepur since August 2025, providing early detection and jamming of rogue drones.
The system precisely detects and pinpoints drone-related activity and actual drop locations, enabling timely ground intervention, the spokesperson stated.
For immediate ground action, 52 Drone Response Teams (DRT) with 147 police personnel work in close coordination with the Border Security Force (BSF).
They respond to drone alerts, reach suspected drop locations, conduct searches, and intercept persons collecting the dropped consignments. This response is supported by 64 second-line defence 'nakas' with 600 police personnel and 2,367 CCTV cameras at 585 locations.
The spokesperson further said that the Village Defence Committees (VDCs) in border areas have been integrated with the drone response teams (DRTs).
The 'YudhNashiyanVirudh', an anti-drug campaign, has resulted in the arrest of nearly 80,000 persons since March 1, 2025, while 486 drones have been recovered.
Financial investigation is being used to disrupt the economic base of the drug network, with property worth over Rs 336 crores frozen, said the spokesperson.
The spokesperson stated that the multi-layered response of Punjab Police based on anti-drone technology, rapid response teams, coordination with BSF, community vigilance, CCTV surveillance, depth nakas, intelligence-led arrests, financial disruption, rehabilitation and prevention has led to a sharp fall in the street availability in Punjab of drugs smuggled from across the international border.
Concurrently, the latest trends indicate that pharmaceutical drugs smuggled from other states are becoming the biggest challenge for authorities in the state.
According to data analysed from pharmaceutical seizures in Punjab, most pharmaceutical drugs are not manufactured in Punjab but in states like Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi, etc. The spokesperson stated that a substantial quantity of pharmaceutical narcotics is entering the state of Punjab from other states.
"Since 2025 onwards, 11.54 lakh pharmaceutical tablets/capsules were recovered from consignments linked to other States, including Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana, Delhi and Himachal," he said.
He emphasised the need for continued coordinated action with source and transit states against manufacturers, distributors and organised pharmaceutical drug networks.

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