NEW DELHI: The government on Wednesday said drug trafficking syndicates are increasingly relying on drones, encrypted messaging platforms and cryptocurrencies to smuggle narcotics into India.
It added that Punjab emerged as the worst-affected border state in the growing menace of cross-border trafficking.
In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said security agencies have recorded an exponential rise in drone-assisted smuggling operations, with traffickers adopting sophisticated technologies to evade surveillance, conceal identities and mask financial transactions.
According to the Minister, drug syndicates operating from across the border are using drones, GPS-enabled consignments, encrypted communication platforms and local receiver networks to infiltrate heroin, methamphetamine, arms and ammunition into India.
Rai informed the House that 305 drone-related drug trafficking incidents were reported across the country in 2025, of which 298 occurred along the Punjab border, highlighting the state's vulnerability to the emerging threat.
These operations led to the seizure of nearly 460 kg of narcotics, including 448 kg of heroin, 9 kg of methamphetamine and 3 kg of opium.
The Minister further informed that to counter the evolving challenge, the government has strengthened border security through deployment of advanced anti-drone systems along vulnerable stretches, installation of enhanced surveillance infrastructure such as CCTV cameras, Pan-Tilt-Zoom (PTZ) cameras and Night Vision Devices (NVDs), besides reinforcing border fencing with upgraded designs and improved floodlighting.
In another reply, Rai said investigations have revealed extensive use of encrypted digital platforms, including WhatsApp, Telegram, Snapchat, Zangi and other social media applications, by organised drug trafficking networks operating in Punjab and neighbouring states.
These platforms are being used to coordinate procurement, transportation, concealment and distribution of narcotics, recruit couriers, share live locations, exchange photographs and videos of consignments, organise deliveries and payments, and maintain links between suppliers and receivers.
The Minister said traffickers have also been found using Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to conceal their identities and facilitate illegal operations.
Investigating agencies conduct detailed digital and technical analysis to identify wider criminal networks, including inter-state and cross-border linkages.
Rai further disclosed that imprisoned drug traffickers have continued to coordinate smuggling activities through associates outside prisons by using illicitly accessed mobile phones.
The Punjab Anti-Narcotics Task Force has also detected the use of cryptocurrencies and other virtual digital assets to transfer drug proceeds and obscure financial trails.
However, Rai noted that privacy-focused cryptocurrencies and foreign-based exchanges often make it difficult to identify the actual sender and recipient of funds.
He said law enforcement agencies routinely seize electronic devices during investigations and subject them to detailed forensic examination.
The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) follows a technology-driven investigation strategy that combines digital forensics, financial investigations and conventional intelligence to dismantle trafficking networks.
The NCB also makes extensive use of specialised intelligence platforms, including the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID), the Multi Agency Centre (MAC) and the Financial Intelligence Network Exchange (FINEX), for link analysis, identification of criminal associates and coordination among central and state agencies.
To strengthen capabilities against technology-enabled drug trafficking, the NCB has engaged cyber experts and conducted specialised training programmes with the US Drug Enforcement Administration (US-DEA) and Rashtriya Raksha University.
A dedicated Darknet and Cryptocurrency Task Force has also been established under the MAC framework to improve intelligence sharing, monitor emerging trafficking trends and coordinate enforcement action against tech-driven narcotics networks.