Despite surveillance, UT still on country’s narcotics map
*Ladakh UT shows limited narcotics activity
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Feb 3: Despite intensified surveillance, the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir continues to figure prominently on India’s narcotics seizure map, with official data revealing over 75,000 kilograms of opium-based drugs and nearly 11,000 kilograms of cannabis seized between 2020 and November 2025, exposing the persistence of cross-border drug trafficking routes in the sensitive Union Territory.
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Revealing this in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha today, the Ministry of Home Affairs pointed out that in the year 2020, a total of 24,001 kilograms of opium-based drugs and 2,270 kilograms of cannabis-based drugs were seized in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. However, no cocaine or synthetic drugs were detected.
In 2021, the opium-based seizures in Jammu and Kashmir declined marginally to 19,405 kilograms, while cannabis seizures stood at 1,716 kilograms. Again, no cocaine or synthetic drugs were reported, pointing to the continued dominance of traditional narcotics in the region’s drug trade.
In 2022, enforcement agencies seized 17,493 kg of opium-based drugs and 1,848 kg of cannabis in Jammu & Kashmir. For the first time, a small quantity of 4 kg of synthetic drugs was also recovered, signaling a possible shift in trafficking patterns.
The year 2023 saw a sharp fall, with opium-based drug seizures dropping to 8,927 kg and cannabis to 1,379 kg in Jammu & Kashmir. Cocaine seizures remained negligible at 1 kg, while synthetic drugs were limited to 0.16 kg.
In 2024, seizures in Jammu & Kashmir fell further to 3,676 kg of opium-based drugs and 1,540 kg of cannabis, with just 3 kg of synthetic drugs detected. No cocaine was seized. Up to November 2025, Jammu & Kashmir recorded seizures of 2,062 kg of opium-based drugs and 1,957 kg of cannabis.
In totality, between 2020 and November 2025, Jammu & Kashmir alone accounted for 75,564 kg of opium-based drugs, 10,611 kg of cannabis, 5 kg of synthetic drugs and 1 kg of cocaine.
On the other side, Ladakh has consistently remained on the fringes of India’s narcotics seizure map, with official data showing negligible recoveries over the last five years. In 2021, Ladakh reported seizure of just 0.40 kg of opium-based drugs and 1 kg of cannabis, with no recovery of cocaine or synthetic drugs, indicating extremely limited narcotics movement through the UT.
In 2022, Ladakh again recorded only 2 kg of cannabis, while seizures of opium-based drugs, cocaine and synthetic narcotics remained nil. The trend continued in 2023, with authorities recovering merely 1 kg of cannabis, without any detection of opium, cocaine or manufactured drugs.
The pattern remained unchanged in 2024, when Ladakh did not report any significant narcotics seizure, underlining the UT’s continued low incidence of drug trafficking. Up to November 2025, Ladakh recorded seizure of just 3 kg of cannabis, while recoveries of opium-based drugs, cocaine and synthetic drugs again stood at zero.
Despite alarming figures in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, the Centre informed Parliament that no separate UT-wise financial assistance under the “Assistance to States/UTs for Narcotic Control” scheme was earmarked for Jammu & Kashmir between 2021-22 and 2025-26.
The Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs, Nityanand Rai, informed Parliament that the Government has taken various measures to curb narcotics trafficking and drug smuggling, especially across International Borders.
“We are using technologies for detecting drug trafficking in the border areas. The installation of an upgraded surveillance grid using AI-based features, RADARs, electro-optic devices, night vision devices, motion detectors with an Integrated Command and Control Centre, institutionalizing drone-based capabilities for aerial surveillance/reconnaissance/search/domination across the border, intelligence sharing and controlled delivery operations with foreign countries are other steps in this direction”, he added.
While the Government has deployed BSF-led NDPS enforcement, AI-enabled surveillance grids, drones, night-vision devices and motion detectors along the International Border, the sustained flow of narcotics into Jammu & Kashmir underscores the scale, adaptability and resilience of trafficking networks operating across the region.
Though the steady decline in seizures may suggest enforcement success, experts warn that falling figures do not automatically mean reduced trafficking. Without transparent data on busted networks and convictions, Jammu & Kashmir’s role as a key narcotics transit corridor remains a troubling reality.
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