New Delhi, September 18, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Indian intelligence agencies have flagged what officials describe as indications of plans by Pakistan-based networks to expand narcotics smuggling into India through multiple routes, including the Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir borders.
According to intelligence inputs cited by IANS, several meetings have reportedly taken place in recent weeks involving officials of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), members of the Dawood Ibrahim syndicate and other narcotics traffickers. An Intelligence Bureau official said a meeting held in Lahore last month discussed ways to increase drug movement into India through Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir.
The official said the next few months could pose significant challenges for Indian enforcement agencies, which are already confronting established narcotics networks and emerging smuggling methods.
The intelligence inputs indicate that Pakistan-based networks may also seek to exploit routes connected with the Golden Triangle, the region where Myanmar, Laos and Thailand meet. The area is a major source of heroin and synthetic drugs, according to the official. Drug trafficking from the region has a particular impact on India’s northeastern states.
Officials further alleged that the ISI could seek to leverage drug proceeds to support insurgent groups in the Northeast. Southern India is also being monitored, with officials pointing to the activities of fugitive drug trafficker Mohammad Salim Dola and alleged efforts to expand narcotics operations in the region.
According to the inputs, traffickers have been advised not to depend solely on drones and to use land and sea routes as well. Indian agencies are also watching for attempts to recruit additional carriers inside the country, amid pressure on existing trafficking networks.
The intelligence assessment comes as the Centre has intensified its nationwide anti-narcotics campaign. In September, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the fight against drugs had entered “mission mode” for 2026-29, with a three-year roadmap, fixed timelines, measurable outcomes and quarterly reviews. The strategy rests on intelligence- and operations-based enforcement, precursor and synthetic-drug control, demand and harm reduction, and capacity building and coordination.
Government data cited in the report says law-enforcement agencies registered 8.75 lakh narcotics cases and arrested 10.97 lakh people, including smugglers, carriers and others linked to drug networks, between 2014 and 2026. The corresponding number of arrests between 2004 and 2014 was 1.95 lakh.
In 2025, 747 foreign nationals, primarily from Nigeria, Nepal and Myanmar, were arrested in narcotics-related cases, compared with 660 in 2024 and 735 in 2023. The report also states that five high-profile traffickers, including Salim Dola, were extradited from the UAE, Sri Lanka and Malaysia.
The intelligence assessment, officials said, points to an evolving challenge involving land, sea and aerial routes, as agencies seek to disrupt both the supply networks and the financing mechanisms associated with narcotics trafficking.
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