NEW DELHI, JUL 29 (PTI): The pattern of narcotics trafficking through the Northeast has changed significantly, with drug syndicates shifting towards synthetic drugs and increasingly using social media and encrypted communication apps to coordinate cross-border smuggling, the government informed Parliament on Wednesday.
In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said the region continues to witness heroin trafficking, but there has been a marked increase in methamphetamine (Crystal Meth/YABA) smuggling from Myanmar, particularly through Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland, reflecting a shift towards synthetic drugs.
He said the pattern of trafficking had changed in terms of the type of drugs, routes and modus operandi adopted by syndicates. There were also reports of precursor chemicals being smuggled from various parts of India to Myanmar for the illicit manufacture of synthetic drugs.
According to the minister, traffickers are exploiting porous and unfenced stretches of the Indo-Myanmar border, forest routes, foot tracks and hilly terrain for cross-border movement of narcotics.
“Narcotics are concealed in legitimate cargo, passenger vehicles and goods carriers, while courier services, parcel networks, social media platforms and encrypted communication applications are increasingly being used for coordination and delivery,” Rai said.
He added that the Moreh-Tamu border remained a key transit point for heroin and methamphetamine originating in Myanmar and destined for different parts of India.
Rai said cross-border drug trafficking continued to pose a major challenge for the Northeastern states due to their proximity to the “Death Triangle” and porous border with Myanmar, making them vulnerable to organised trafficking of amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) and heroin.
Drug law enforcement agencies seized 4,626 kg of ATS and 2,652 kg of heroin during 2021-2025, he said.
The minister also noted that vulnerable border stretches covered under the Free Movement Regime (FMR) had facilitated drug trafficking, while syndicates were constantly changing routes and concealment methods to evade enforcement.
To counter the threat, the government has released the Vision Document on Narcotics Control 2026-2029, strengthened the four-tier Narco-Coordination Centre (NCORD) mechanism, expanded the Narcotics Control Bureau’s presence in border areas, established new zonal offices in the Northeast, and deployed advanced surveillance systems, anti-drone technology and improved border fencing along vulnerable stretches.
Thursday, July 30, 2026