• A massive consignment of methamphetamine tablets worth Rs 88 crore was seized and four members of an international drug cartel were arrested in Imphal and Guwahati zones, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said.

• Acting on a tip-off, the officers of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Imphal zone carried out an operation on March 13. The NCB team intercepted a truck near the Lilong area and recovered 102.39 kg of Methamphetamine tablets from a toolbox in the rear section of the truck.

• Without delay, the team immediately conducted a follow-up operation and apprehended the suspected receiver of the contraband from the Lilong area.

• Meanwhile, the NCB would be taking over the probe from the Mizoram State Excise Department into the seizure of about 46 kg of crystal meth from Brigade Bawngkawn in Aizawl on March 6.

• The northeast region has emerged as one of the most vulnerable areas of India from the point of view of drug trafficking owing to its geographic location.

• The NCB, through its five zonal units and a regional headquarters in the northeast, has been continuously working against drug traffickers operating in the region, particularly those involved in the trafficking of synthetic drugs such as Methamphetamine tablets, popularly known as YABA.

• These tablets pose a threat to not only the young population of the region, but also to the security of the nation as a whole.

Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB)

• The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) is the national nodal agency created under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 for preventing and combating drugs abuse and illicit trafficking in Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances. 

• It was established in March 1986.

• NCB is responsible for coordination with various ministries, other offices and state/central enforcement agencies. 

• It is also responsible for implementation of the international obligations under various United Nation Conventions of 1961, 1971 & 1988 (to which India is signatory) against illicit trafficking of Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS).

• NCB with its headquarters at New Delhi has seven Regional Deputy Director General offices — Northern Region  (Delhi), South Western Region (Mumbai), Eastern Region (Kolkata), North Western Region (Amritsar), Western Region (Ahmedabad), Southern Region (Chennai), North Eastern Region (Guwahati), and 30 zonal units.

Government’s Strategy Against Drug Trafficking

1) Bottom-to-Top & Top-to-Bottom Investigation Approach

• The government has implemented a foolproof investigation strategy, ensuring that all levels of the drug supply chain — from street peddlers to major traffickers — are systematically targeted.

• The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has been actively cracking down on drug syndicates, leading to multiple high-profile arrests and convictions.

2) Strengthening Legal Framework & Enforcement

• Under the NDPS Act, the government has imposed strict penalties, ensuring that convicted traffickers receive long-term sentences.

• Increased coordination between law enforcement agencies, intelligence units, and forensic teams has improved conviction rates.

Additional Read:

Rapid expansion of synthetic drugs reshaping illicit markets

Synthetic drugs are rapidly transforming the global drug trade, fuelling an escalating public health crisis, according to the annual report of the UN administered International Narcotics Control Board (INCB). Demand for synthetic drugs has sharply risen, alongside prescription opioid dependence and the falsified pharmaceutical drugs that have entered illicit markets. 

(The author is a trainer for Civil Services aspirants.)