A new narcotics report from India has revealed that 106 Nigerian nationals were among hundreds of foreigners arrested for drug trafficking offenses in the country last year, highlighting Nigeria’s disproportionate representation in international drug busts and the complex global networks fueling the trade.
According to India’s Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) annual report, Nigerian citizens constituted the second-largest group of foreign nationals arrested for drug-related crimes in 2024, with 106 individuals taken into custody. Only Nepal, with 203 arrests, recorded higher numbers among foreign nationals in India’s intensified anti-narcotics campaign.
The data emerged as Union Home Minister Amit Shah released the comprehensive report during the 2nd National Conference of Heads of Anti-Narcotics Task Forces. The findings reveal the scale of India’s struggle against international drug trafficking networks, with 660 foreign nationals from multiple countries arrested in total.
The report particularly highlighted India’s vulnerability due to its geographic position between what authorities term the “Death Crescent” (Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran) and the “Death Triangle” (Myanmar, Thailand, Laos) – two of the world’s most significant drug-producing regions.
Director General of NCB, Anurag Garg, explained in the report that different regions of India face distinct challenges: “While the states of Punjab, Rajasthan, and Jammu & Kashmir are vulnerable to heroin smuggling from Pakistan, the north-eastern states are affected by proximity to Myanmar. Coastal routes are now increasingly being exploited for the smuggling of synthetic drugs and precursors.”
The data showed significant drug seizures across multiple regions, with Punjab reporting 163 cases of drug trafficking via drones alone, resulting in the seizure of 187.149 kg of heroin. Rajasthan reported 15 drone cases with 39.155 kg of heroin recovered, while Jammu and Kashmir recorded one case leading to 0.344 kg recovery.
Other nationalities featured in the arrest statistics included 25 Myanmarese, 18 Bangladeshis, 14 Ivorians, 13 Ghanaians, and 10 Icelanders.
Addressing conference attendees, Home Minister Shah outlined a strategic shift in India’s approach, emphasizing the need to target high-level cartels rather than low-level peddlers. “The time has come to bring those who run the drug trade in India while residing abroad within the ambit of the law,” Shah stated, highlighting collaboration with the CBI for extradition of fugitives.
Shah detailed the new strategy focusing on three cartel types: those operating at entry points, those distributing from entry points to states, and those selling narcotics in smaller areas within states. He called for adoption of advanced technologies including darknet analysis, cryptocurrency tracking, and machine learning models to combat these networks.
“The battle is no longer about catching small-scale drug peddlers,” Shah emphasized. “Now, every state has to develop a high-level strategy targeting all three types of cartels.”
The minister noted the particular challenge posed by India’s proximity to major drug-producing regions, stating: “Unfortunately, two of the regions from where drugs are supplied globally are very close to us. So this is the time that we fight against it strongly.”
The report and accompanying statements signal India’s increasingly tough stance on international drug trafficking amid growing concerns about transnational criminal networks exploiting global trade routes and vulnerable regions.
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