A total of 106 Nigerians were among 660 foreign nationals arrested for drug trafficking in India in 2024, according to the country’s Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB).
The Indian Express reports that Nepalese nationals topped the list with 203 arrests, followed by Nigerians (106) and Myanmarese (25). Other arrests included 18 Bangladeshis, 14 Ivorians, 13 Ghanaians, and 10 Icelanders, the NCB revealed in its annual report.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah released the report during the 2nd National Conference of Heads of Anti-Narcotics Task Forces (ANTF) of states and Union Territories, organised by the NCB.
The report highlighted increasing cases of drug trafficking using drones. In Punjab alone, 163 cases were recorded, leading to the seizure of 187.149 kg of heroin, 5.39 kg of methamphetamine, and 4.22 kg of opium. Rajasthan reported 15 drone-related cases with 39.155 kg of heroin seized, while Jammu and Kashmir reported one case with 0.344 kg of heroin recovered.
According to NCB Director General Anurag Garg, India faces a unique challenge in narcotics control due to its location between the “Death Crescent” (Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran) and the “Death Triangle” (Myanmar, Thailand, Laos), two of the world’s largest drug-producing regions. He noted that Punjab, Rajasthan, and Jammu & Kashmir remain vulnerable to heroin smuggling from Pakistan, while the northeastern states suffer from inflows through Myanmar. Coastal states such as Maharashtra, Gujarat, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu are increasingly exploited for synthetic drug smuggling.
Addressing the conference, Minister Shah said the government is determined to dismantle drug cartels and bring overseas operators under Indian law. He urged state ANTFs to collaborate with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to pursue extradition of drug lords abroad.
Shah explained that enforcement efforts are now shifting from arresting small-scale peddlers to dismantling three types of cartels: those controlling entry points, those distributing across states, and those running retail trade. He called for advanced technology adoption, including darknet monitoring, cryptocurrency tracking, logistics and financial analysis, metadata study, and machine learning models to combat cartels.
“This is no longer just a law enforcement challenge but a battle linked to national development,” Shah said, warning that India’s proximity to two major global drug hubs makes decisive action critical.
