THE GEOGRAPHY AND ECONOMY OF PUNJAB'S LONG DRUG CRISIS

30 Oct 2026

Tags: Governance   Policy Interventions   Sectoral development schemes

Source: The Indian Express

Context: Punjab has been battling drug abuse and trafficking for nearly 15 years, with continued availability of narcotics despite repeated enforcement and rehabilitation initiatives.

• NCRB data (2024): Punjab recorded the highest number of drug-possession-for-trafficking cases (6,060) and the second-highest drug overdose deaths (106), after Tamil Nadu (313).
• Political significance: Drug abuse has emerged as a major electoral issue ahead of the Punjab Assembly elections, with opposition parties questioning the effectiveness of the State Government's anti-drug measures.

Historical Background of Drug Use in Punjab

• Pre-Independence: Opium (afeem) and poppy husk were traditionally consumed in small quantities, sometimes on medical advice, and had social acceptance in certain sections of northern India.
• Traditional intoxicants: Home-brewed alcohol (desi daru) was historically the more socially accepted form of intoxication in Punjab.
• Post-Independence: Opium consumption continued despite restrictions, with people crossing into Rajasthan, where legal opium outlets (thekas) existed, to procure it.
• 1979 study: Patterns and Prevalence of Opium Use in Rural Punjab (India) documented widespread opium consumption in rural Punjab despite dependence on smuggled supplies.

Geographical Factors: Punjab's Vulnerability to Drug Trafficking

• International border: Punjab shares a 553-km border with Pakistan, making it vulnerable to cross-border narcotics smuggling.
• Golden Crescent: The mountainous regions of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran form the Golden Crescent, a major global centre for heroin production and processing.
• Other global drug hubs:
  • Golden Triangle: Myanmar, Thailand and Laos; a major centre of illicit drug production, particularly opium and synthetic drugs.
  • South America: Another major global centre of illicit drug production and trafficking.
• Narco-terrorism: Security agencies have alleged that drugs are smuggled across the Pakistan border to finance destabilising activities and weaken Punjab, making narcotics trafficking a national security concern.

Major Drug Trafficking Routes into Punjab

• Heroin (Chitta): Smuggled primarily across the Pakistan border; heroin is locally known as chitta.
• Opium and poppy husk: Sourced mainly from Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, where regulated cultivation is permitted for medical, scientific and export purposes.
• Charas and hashish: Cannabis-derived substances sourced from Himachal Pradesh.
• Inter-State trafficking: Officials suspect that high-quality heroin originating from Delhi is routed through Gujarat, Rajasthan's Ganganagar and Hanumangarh districts, or Jammu and Kathua in Jammu & Kashmir.

Growing Threat of Pharmaceutical Drugs

• Shift in drug consumption: Increased border enforcement has coincided with a sharp rise in the abuse and trafficking of pharmaceutical drugs.
• BSF jurisdiction: In 2021, the Centre extended the Border Security Force's jurisdiction in Punjab and other specified border States from 15 km to 50 km inland.
• Concentration of seizures: Of the 5.13 crore pharmaceutical drug units seized across India in 2024, Punjab accounted for 2.94 crore (approximately 57%).
• Police cases: Around 25% of FIRs registered by Punjab Police under the NDPS Act in 2022 involved pharmaceutical drugs.
• Supply sources: Approximately 80% of pharmaceutical drugs entering Punjab are reportedly sourced from manufacturing hubs in Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan.
• Recent incident: Activist Parvinder Singh Jhota was allegedly shot dead by a chemist on October 13 after confronting him over the sale of prohibited drugs to addicts.

Drone-Based Cross-Border Smuggling

• Increasing use of drones: Smugglers increasingly use small Chinese quadcopters to transport heroin and weapons across the international border, with drone deliveries increasingly occurring during daylight.
• Rising incidents: BSF data indicates that drone-dropping incidents increased from just 3 in 2021 to over 200 in 2025.
• Operational corridor: The Amritsar–Tarn Taran–Ferozepur–Gurdaspur belt has emerged as a major operational zone for drone-based smuggling.
• Countermeasures: The BSF has established an anti-drone intelligence wing, while Punjab Police has procured anti-drone guns. However, smugglers continue to evade security agencies.

Economic and Social Drivers of Drug Trafficking

• High profitability: A gram of heroin (chitta) can fetch ₹1,000–₹5,000, while a single drug-mule operation can earn an individual up to ₹1 lakh.
• Unemployment and aspirations: Limited employment opportunities relative to the aspirations of Punjab's youth make lucrative illegal activities attractive to vulnerable sections.
• Changing social attitudes: Growing acceptance of illicit methods of wealth accumulation has also been identified as a contributing factor.
• Trafficker–politician–police nexus: Allegations of collusion among drug traffickers, police personnel and politicians have weakened enforcement. The 2013 arrest of Punjab Police DSP Jagdish Singh Bhola in a multi-crore drug racket exposed the alleged nexus; he was convicted in 2019 and is currently out on bail.
• Women in trafficking: Arrests of women under the NDPS Act increased by 85% in 2022 compared with 2015, according to Punjab Assembly data presented in March 2023.
• Gender dimension: Traffickers exploit women as couriers because they may be less likely to be frisked. Some women suffering from addiction also enter drug peddling to finance their dependence. Entire families, including couples and mothers and sons, may become involved in trafficking.

Government Measures to Combat Drug Abuse

• War on Drugs (2014): The Akali-BJP government adopted the EDP approach — Enforcement, De-addiction and Prevention to tackle drug trafficking and addiction.
• Change in police strategy (2022): Following the formation of the AAP government, Punjab Police adopted a dual strategy of choking drug supply by targeting major traffickers and expanding public outreach programmes.
• Yudh Nasheyan Virudh (2025): The AAP government launched this campaign to disrupt trafficking networks, choke their financial resources and demolish properties allegedly constructed using illicit proceeds.
• Second phase (2026): The campaign shifted towards community participation, deploying over 1.5 lakh village volunteers to strengthen grassroots-level action.
• Earlier Congress initiatives: Measures included dope tests for applicants seeking arms licences and drug testing during government recruitment processes.

Challenges in Tackling the Drug Crisis

• Persistent availability: Despite repeated enforcement campaigns, drugs continue to remain easily accessible, indicating weaknesses in supply-chain disruption.
• Enforcement-centric approach: Arrests and seizures alone cannot address the socio-economic causes of addiction and trafficking.
• Cross-border and inter-State networks: International smuggling routes, domestic supply chains and drone-based deliveries make enforcement difficult.
• Institutional corruption: Alleged collusion between traffickers and sections of law enforcement and political establishments undermines anti-drug operations.
• Inadequate rehabilitation: Observers have highlighted the need to prioritise rehabilitation and de-addiction alongside enforcement, rather than treating addiction exclusively as a law-and-order problem.

Important Concepts for UPSC

• Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB): Central nodal agency for combating drug trafficking and coordinating enforcement activities under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
• NDPS Act, 1985: Provides the legal framework for controlling and regulating narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances and penalising their illicit production, possession, sale, purchase and trafficking.
• Golden Crescent and Golden Triangle: Two major geographical regions associated with international illicit drug production and trafficking.
• Narco-terrorism: Use of drug trafficking and its proceeds to finance terrorist activities and destabilise national security.
• Drug de-addiction: Medical and psychosocial interventions aimed at treating substance dependence and facilitating the social reintegration of affected individuals.

Way Forward

• Balanced strategy: Strengthen the EDP framework by combining strict enforcement with accessible de-addiction and preventive interventions.
• Rehabilitation-first approach: Treat drug addiction as a public health and social welfare concern, ensuring counselling, medical treatment and sustained rehabilitation.
• Border security: Improve drone detection, intelligence sharing, surveillance and coordination between the BSF, Punjab Police and central agencies.
• Financial investigation: Target the financial networks, money laundering channels and assets of major trafficking syndicates.
• Inter-State cooperation: Strengthen coordination among States to disrupt pharmaceutical and narcotics supply chains.
• Community participation: Involve village institutions, educational institutions, families and civil society in awareness, early identification and rehabilitation.
• Economic alternatives: Expand skill development, employment opportunities and livelihood options for vulnerable youth.

Conclusion: Punjab's drug crisis is not merely a law-and-order problem; it is rooted in geographical vulnerability, cross-border trafficking, unemployment, social factors and institutional weaknesses. Sustainable solutions require combining supply-side enforcement with demand reduction, rehabilitation and socio-economic empowerment.