Amit Shah launches Rs 6,000 crore Narcotics Disposal Campaign

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday unveiled the ‘Vision Document on Drug Control (2026-2029)’, laying out a comprehensive three-year strategy to strengthen India’s fight against narcotics and dismantle drug networks across the country.Chairing the 10th Apex Level Meeting of the Narco-Coordination Centre (NCORD) in New Delhi, Shah also launched the ‘Online Drugs Disposal Fortnight Campaign’, under which narcotic substances worth more than Rs6,000 crore, weighing over 2.09 lakh kilograms, will be destroyed.During the meeting, the Home Minister released the NCB Annual Report 2025 and virtually inaugurated Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) zonal offices in Jammu and Guwahati, reaffirming the government’s zero-tolerance policy against drug trafficking, organised crime and narco-terror networks.
Addressing officials, Shah said the next three years would be crucial in India’s campaign against narcotics and stressed the need to ensure that drug cartels are dismantled so effectively that they cannot rebuild their networks for decades.He outlined the government’s strategy based on the principle of “Detect, Disrupt and Destroy”, combining human intelligence, technological capabilities and community policing to target every stage of the narcotics ecosystem, from production and trafficking to financiers and major operators.Shah said while strict action must be taken against drug traffickers, young people affected by addiction should receive support through rehabilitation and de-addiction programmes.Highlighting emerging challenges, the Home Minister said narcotics trafficking is increasingly linked with organised crime, terror financing and cross-border networks. He noted that criminals are using advanced methods, including drones, darknet platforms, cryptocurrency transactions, parcel routes and maritime channels, requiring stronger technology-based enforcement.

#WATCH | Delhi | Union Home Minister Amit Shah says, “If we wish to resolve any problem, I believe we must first understand its nature... The issue of narcotics is not merely a matter of law and order or public health; it is linked to the nation's internal security, social… https://t.co/pgFTsKUFVJ pic.twitter.com/5JqCLPC1z1

— ANI (@ANI) June 26, 2026

According to agency reports, the Vision Document focuses on four key pillars — Enforcement, Intelligence and Operations; Precursor and Synthetic Drug Control; Demand Reduction and Rehabilitation; and Capacity Building and Coordination. The roadmap aims to strengthen institutional capacity to counter synthetic drugs, darknet-based trafficking and cross-border narcotics networks.Shah directed states to transform their Anti-Narcotics Task Forces (ANTFs) into dedicated, full-time units equipped with necessary resources. He also called for mandatory financial investigations in major NDPS cases to identify, freeze and seize the proceeds of crime, stressing that cutting the financial backbone of cartels is essential to eliminating the drug ecosystem.Calling for faster legal action, Shah said the Ministry of Home Affairs is working towards setting up exclusive NDPS courts and urged states to create dedicated courts and appoint special public prosecutors for narcotics cases.He also asked states to intensify efforts to bring back drug traffickers and gang leaders hiding abroad through mechanisms such as Red Corner Notices, extradition procedures and coordination with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
On demand reduction, the Home Minister emphasised the need to create drug-free zones and expand awareness programmes involving parents, teachers, educational institutions, youth groups and communities. Ministries of Social Justice, Health and Education have been assigned responsibilities to strengthen rehabilitation services, prevent pharmaceutical misuse and promote drug-free campuses.Reviewing the government’s efforts, Shah said authorities seized narcotics worth Rs1.84 lakh crore between 2014 and 2026, compared with Rs40,000 crore during 2004-2014. He added that drugs worth Rs89,896 crore were destroyed during this period, significantly higher than the Rs8,000 crore destroyed in the previous decade.He also highlighted action against illegal opium cultivation, saying more than 42,000 acres were destroyed in 2025 compared with around 10,000 acres in 2020. Since 2014, 8.75 lakh narcotics-related cases have been registered and more than 10.97 lakh arrests have been made.Shah said coordinated efforts by the Centre, states, enforcement agencies and society would help weaken narcotics networks and move India closer to the goal of a “Nasha Mukt Bharat” envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.