In two years, states transfer 40 cases to NCB

Over the last two years, states have transferred at least 40 drug related cases to the NCB, after doing almost none between 2007 and 2021.

Over the last two years, states have transferred at least 40 drug related cases to the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), after doing almost none between 2007 and 2021, people familiar with the matter said, adding that this is part of India’s concerted plan to break the back of large drug cartels operating in the country.

Two persons were arrested and drugs worth ₹3 crore was seized in Assam on April 20.

“Until mid 2021, no case was transferred to the NCB from any state. Drug cases were probed by the state police forces. The state police forces have their own limitations and are often busy dealing with law-and-order problems so probing such cases is not often a priority for them. But with the Centre now determined to break the network of the drug cartels, many states are transferring the cases to us for an in-depth investigation,” an NCB official said, asking not to be named. This person added that NCB is asking state police forces to do so.

Last month, during the first national meeting of heads of anti-narcotics officers from the states, union minister Amit Shah urged them to hand over some interstate and international drug cases to NCB. Since mid 2021, after the Centre launched a crackdown on drug networks and promised to make India drug free by 2047, every state and union territory police force has a dedicated anti-narcotics wing headed by a senior officer.

The agency’s director general, SN Pradhan, confirmed that while no case was transferred to the NCB between 2010 and 2020 (for which data was available), the agency has got 40 cases from states and UTs now. “This is a mutual cooperation set-up we have with the states now. The response has been good. We request the states to give us cases so that we can break the large networks.”

NCB officials said that most cases have been transferred from Punjab, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh. West Bengal is yet to send a single case to the federal agency. “The directive we have got is to go after the big fish. For example, in 2021, the Uttar Pradesh and the Delhi police busted a drugs network from the house of a former village headman in Padhera village, Bareilly. The man Chote Pradhan was a big supplier from heroin from Bareilly to north India. The case was transferred to NCB Lucknow zone. As part of the probe, we busted the entire network. Around 13 members of his family are behind bars. Their house, where they manufactured heroin in bulk, was also sealed,” a second NCB officer said on condition of anonymity.

Another transferred case related to the arrest of a man, who was caught with 440 kg of marijuana in Raebareli district. While the man, who transported drugs in a tanker, was arrested by Uttar Pradesh police’s special task force, the case was handed to the NCB in June 2022. “In this case, we busted the man’s entire network of 7 people, including the main receivers. The directive we have got today is simple – bust the entire chain and go after the big fish. Once the main supplier, who further supplied the drugs to smaller ones, was arrested, the cartel was disbanded,” said a third NCB officer who too asked not to be named.

HT on May 23 reported that the government has empowered NCB to achieve the 2047 target by approving four new regional offices Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Chennai and Guwahati in addition to the existing three in Mumbai, Kolkata and Delhi, and sanctioning 425 new posts, an increase of almost 38% from the current sanctioned strength of the force. .