Ranit Kr. Singh , Dispur - Assam has registered the highest number of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act cases in eastern and northeastern India, logging 12,500 cases and 20,398 arrests from 2020 to 2024. According to a cross-border drug trafficking report compiled from Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) data across 12 states, Odisha closely followed Assam with 12,405 cases. However, Manipur was identified as the region's primary hotspot for heroin trafficking, recording a massive 1,750.34 kg in seizures over the same five-year period, largely due to its international border with Myanmar and proximity to the infamous "Golden Triangle" production hub.

The comprehensive NCB report highlighted distinct trafficking trends and regional vulnerabilities across the 12 surveyed states. While West Bengal led in pharmaceutical smuggling with 2.75 million bottles of codeine-based cough syrup seized, Assam topped illicit prescription tablet recoveries at over 17.2 million. Mizoram emerged as the central concern for synthetic drugs, registering 2,218.27 kg of amphetamine-type stimulants. Meanwhile, Odisha dominated cannabis trafficking by intercepting 850,792 kg of ganja, and Jharkhand and Bihar were flagged for overland opium transit, recording 4,206 kg and 1,920 kg of opium seizures respectively.

These findings surface amidst the Centre's aggressive "war on drugs" campaign, which aims for complete eradication across India by 2047. In response to the escalating cross-border menace, Union Home Minister Amit Shah recently emphasized tightening land and maritime border security alongside strengthening the NCB. To dismantle these complex networks, the report explicitly urges intensified, coordinated action and intelligence-sharing among key law enforcement agencies, including state police forces, Customs, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), the Border Security Force (BSF), and the Assam Rifles.