At 1,450 kg, Punjab records all-time high heroin seizure in 9 months

The previous annual record haul was in 2023, when police seized 1,352kg heroin. Of the total haul this year, 1338kg seized since the launch of the ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’ campaign

Punjab Police have seized 1,450 kg of heroin in the first nine months of this year — the highest-ever haul, official data shows.

As many as 20,172 FIRs have been registered by the police across the state under various sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, and 30,854 accused have been arrested during the campaign against drugs. (HT FIle)

Of this, 1,338 kg was recovered in the seven months since the AAP government launched its flagship ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’ campaign on March 1 this year. On average, the drive has led to the seizure of 6 kg of heroin, 96 FIRs, and 147 arrests every day.

The previous record haul was in 2023, when the police seized 1,352 kg of heroin.

“Our biggest success has been to make this campaign the people’s movement. Apart from that, not only have we synchronised all our efforts, but more thrust was given to establish and dismantle forward and backwards linkages even in the cases of small recoveries to dismantle the entire network,” Punjab director general of police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said.

As many as 20,172 FIRs have been registered by the police across the state under various sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, and 30,854 accused have been arrested during the campaign against drugs.

Punjab has accounted for 61% of the total heroin seized in the country this year. Of the 1,605 kg of heroin confiscated nationwide, over 1,000 kg was seized by the Punjab Police, Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) data shows.

In the past three years, ever since the AAP government took over in March 2022, 4,524 kg of heroin has been recovered in Punjab as compared to 4,375 kg recovered in the past 10 years between 2012-2022.

DGP Yadav added that various factors have contributed to tightening the noose on narcotics trafficking, including corrective measures taken by the police.

“We have also strengthened the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF). The force has been upgraded to a dedicated state-level unit with zonal offices for better coverage and coordination in dealing with drug smuggling. We have strengthened the intelligence-based operations,” Yadav added.

Yadav said that besides focusing on seizures and arresting smugglers and dismantling the narcotics network, the strategy to segregate big drug suppliers/peddlers from the users has also helped. “We are taking stringent legal action against traffickers, while motivating users to undergo de-addiction treatment,” he noted.

Notably, a special monitoring cell has also been set up in the DGP office to supervise the campaign daily, including how many raids were conducted in any district in a single day or how many cops were deployed for the raids.

Drug-laden Pak drones remain significant threat

A recent report of NCB released by the Union home ministry has also pointed towards a sharp spike in the sightings and recovery of drug-laden drones coming into India from Pakistan across the international border in Punjab over the last four years, posing a significant threat to the country’s internal security, especially the smuggling of drugs and weapons.

According to this report, in 2024, the number of such seizures “rose manifold”, reaching 179 cases of drone recoveries as compared to just three cases in 2021. In 2025, information gathered from the Punjab Police revealed that 146 cases of drone recoveries have already been registered in the first six months of this year, which shows the gravity of the smuggling.

“Smuggling from drones has posed a big factor. The state has purchased a few anti-drone technologies, but their results are yet to come because recent floods hampered the installation of these technologies,” a senior official of the ANTF said.

GFX

War against drugs

Total FIRs registered: 20,172

Total arrests: 30,853

Seizures

Heroin 1342kg

ICE: 7 kg

Drug money ₹12.71 lakh

Properties frozen: ₹174 crore

Major Hauls this year

May 8: 10 kg heroin seized in Amritsar

May 16: 85 kg heroin recovered, biggest haul of the year, in Tarn Taran

May 18: 10 kg heroin confiscated in Amritsar

May 22: 12 kg heroin recovered in Ferozepur

June 30: 60 kg heroin seized by Amritsar

July 8: 40 kg heroin recovered in Bathinda

Sept 18: 26 kg heroin seized in Amritsar

Recoveries in past 5 years

Year Cases Registered Accused Arrested Heroin Recovered (KGs)

2022 12,380 16,807 593

2023 11,551 15,880 1,352

2024 8,978 12,377 1,129

2025-to date 21,577 31,433 1,450

Yudh Nashian Virudh (March 1, - to date) 20,172 30,854 1,338