| Amit Shah launches anti-drug drive, says next 3 years crucial to defeat narcotics | | Calls for ruthless crackdown on drug cartels, 2,09,500 kilograms of narcotics worth Rs 6000 cr destroyed | |  Early Times Report
New Delhi, June 26: As many as 2,09,500 kilograms of narcotics, valued at Rs 6,000 crore, seized by various enforcement agencies were destroyed on Friday as Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched the "Online Drugs Disposal Fortnight Campaign".
Amit Shah chaired the 10th Apex-Level Meeting of the Narco-Coordination Centre (NCORD) in New Delhi and released the 'Vision Document on Drug Control (2026–2029)' and the 'NCB Annual Report 2025'. Addressing the gathering, the Union Home Minister called for adopting a ruthless approach against those involved in drug trafficking while extending a compassionate approach towards victims of drug abuse.
He said it was society's compassion and goodwill that could help reconnect addicted youth with a normal life.
"We have to hold their hands and guide them back onto the right path," he said.
"Today, our country stands at a critical turning point in the fight against narcotics, where the next three years will decide whether addiction defeats us or we defeat addiction," Shah said.
"For the country's future over the next 100 years, we must win this battle through firm determination and collective efforts. This fight cannot be won by any single department, state, government or individual," he added.
"All states and their concerned departments must come together on a common platform. We must also involve people who inspire society, the youth who will shape the nation's future, and the power of women. Only then can we achieve complete success in this battle," he said.
Shah emphasised that the issue of narcotic drugs was not merely one of law and order or public health.
"It is deeply linked to the country's internal security, social stability, economic interests and the future of our youth. Through them, it is also linked to the future of the nation. Achieving complete victory over this menace should be a collective national goal for every state in India," he said.
Narco-terror ecosystem poses a major challenge
Amit Shah said that, besides drug trafficking, organised crime, narco-terror financing and the funding of cross-border terrorist networks, the menace had evolved into a broader narco-terror ecosystem.
"For the internal security of our country, the protection of our economy and the future of our younger generation, we must achieve complete victory over this menace," he said.
"We are geographically situated between the 'Death Triangle' and the 'Death Crescent'," he added.
Fight against drugs becoming more challenging
Highlighting the evolving tactics of drug syndicates, Shah said traffickers had made the fight more challenging by using advanced technologies such as drone-based deliveries, containerised sea cargo, the darknet, cryptocurrency payments, order-to-delivery models and parcel shipments.
"Today, narco-offenders are technology-enabled and network-based. They pose a multi-domain challenge. Our response must also be collective, organised, intelligence-led, technology-driven and based on a clear roadmap. We must wage a network-centric war with a ruthless approach. Only then can we defeat this menace," he said.
Destroying drugs worth Rs 6,000 crore in a day is a significant achievement
The Union Home Minister said the Drugs Disposal Fortnight Campaign had begun on Friday and described the destruction of narcotics worth Rs 6,000 crore in a single day as a significant achievement.
He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had envisioned a Viksit Bharat by 2047 and had also set the goal of a Nasha Mukt Bharat. The Vision Document for 2026–2029, he said, provides the roadmap for achieving that objective.
Shah said the fight against drugs could be summed up in three words — Detect, Disrupt and Destroy.
"We have to eliminate all three categories of drug cartels — those who smuggle drugs into the country from abroad, those who transport them from border areas to the states, and those who distribute them to end users. We must achieve this through human intelligence (HUMINT), technical intelligence and community policing, particularly in border and sensitive districts," he said.
He further said all financial enforcement agencies must work in close coordination to formulate a joint strategy for monitoring the darknet, hawala transactions, cryptocurrency transactions, and the misuse of ports and airports.
"Under the 'Disrupt' strategy, we must strike at every level of the drug trade — its sources, transit routes, financing networks and leadership — with the full force of the law," he added. |
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