In war on drugs, NCB to focus on foreigners involved in trafficking

The Narcotics Control Bureau ( NCB ), in coordination with other central agencies and state police forces, will conduct a nationwide crackdown on foreigners staying illegally in India and involved in drug trafficking, officials aware of the matter said. The move is part of the government’s ongoing war on drugs.

The NCB has written to the anti-narcotics task forces of all states for the crackdown in September, the official said on the condition of anonymity.

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“Intelligence will be shared by central agencies, and joint operations will be conducted in places where foreigners staying illegally are involved in the drug trade. The NCB has also identified places where such foreigners are staying. For example, in the NCR , several border areas near Delhi, including parts of Greater Noida and Ghaziabad , have emerged as new hotspots for foreigners staying illegally and dealing in drugs. Earlier, there were other hotspots, but they have changed over the last few years. This crackdown is not targeted at any specific country or community, but at all those living illegally and involved in the drug trade,” the official said.

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The strategy to identify foreigners involved in the drug trade was among the key measures outlined in the government’s Vision Documents 2026-27, a three-year, target-specific plan aligned with its vision of making India drug-free by 2047 — a pledge made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi .

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Bringing back fugitives settled abroad who are allegedly working to pump drugs into India is another key strategy under the three-year plan. Central agencies , including the NCB, have drawn up a list of 25 such fugitives, described as key players in the drug trade, three of whom have already been brought back. “There are different measures in the plan. One involves jail inspections and a crackdown on smuggling inside jails and on drug gangs formed there. This, too, will happen in the next few months,” the official added.

Prawesh Lama, an Associate Editor at Hindustan Times with nearly two decades of frontline reporting experience across India’s conflict zones, border regions, and disaster-hit areas. He writes on internal security, insurgency, the Northeast, and Left-wing extremism and has reported from India’s hinterland and some of the most sensitive and strategically critical regions. Read More