A record increase in drug trafficking cases has been registered in Punjab and the state has now reached number-1 in the country. There has been one and a half times increase in drug smuggling in three years. According to the report of the Union Home Ministry, 1.16 lakh kilograms of drugs were recovered in the year 2025, which is the largest figure till date.
The report has revealed that the villages bordering Pakistan are the target of smugglers. There has been an increase in the cases of dropping drugs from across the border through drones, which has increased the concern of security agencies. Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Gurdaspur, Pathankot, Ferozepur and Fazilka districts connected to the 553 km long international border of Punjab are becoming major routes of smuggling.
According to the data, 47,475 kg of drugs were recovered in the year 2023 and 46,227 kg in 2024, but in 2025 there was a huge jump and the figure reached 1.16 lakh kg. According to the report of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), cases of smuggling through drones are continuously increasing in the border districts.
