CHANDIGARH: In the first nine months of this year, there has been a surge in the smuggling of narcotics, arms and ammunition, along with increased activity and infiltration by Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) from Pakistan into Indian territory and airspace along the Indo-Pak international border in Punjab.
Due to intensified counter-drone measures, the Border Security Force (BSF) recovered 182 drones till September-end this year. It also seized 850 kg of heroin smuggled from the neighbouring country between January and September, more than double the 415 kg recovered during the corresponding period last year and nearly three times the 283 kg seized in 2024.
Another significant trend has been a threefold increase in opium smuggling this year compared with last year. The recovery of sophisticated weapons has also increased.
Besides heroin, 44 kg of opium was seized till September-end this year, compared with 12 kg last year and 16 kg in 2024, marking a major increase in the smuggling of the narcotic from across the border.
The BSF also seized around 14 kg of ICE (crystal methamphetamine) this year. Its recovery remained largely at par with 2025, when 21 kg was seized, compared with just 1.4 kg in 2024.
There has also been a rise in the trafficking of sophisticated weapons across the border. As many as 261 weapons, including assault rifles, were recovered by the BSF till the end of last month, compared with 200 last year and only 36 in 2024. Ammunition, mainly magazines, also saw a steady rise, with 390 recovered by the BSF this year, compared with 286 last year and 47 in 2024.
In 2025 alone, the BSF recovered around 250 drones during the corresponding period till September-end, while a total of 316 drone incidents were reported. As many as 313 drones were recovered jointly by the Punjab Police and the BSF.
Sources said the recovery patterns showed that Amritsar and Tarn Taran continued to be the preferred infiltration corridors for Pakistan-based ISI-backed smuggling and terror networks. However, the Ferozepur sector has witnessed a significant increase in major seizures in recent months.
Sources said these consignments were intended for terror modules, gang networks and criminal syndicates operating in Punjab as well as other states.
“The security agencies had to recalibrate their response as smugglers had altered their tactics this year,” said a senior official on condition of anonymity, adding that a number of intelligence-based joint operations had been launched in the border belt.
Surveillance and enforcement have also been expanded up to 5 to 8 km inside the border from the International Border. Human intelligence is being developed with the help of village defence committees, while counter-drone capabilities have been strengthened through the deployment of anti-drone systems.
The Punjab government has deployed three anti-drone systems, two in Tarn Taran and one in Amritsar Rural, at a cost of around Rs 53 crore. The systems cover about 210 km across Ferozepur, Tarn Taran and Amritsar Rural districts.
An official said Punjab remains vulnerable to cross-border smuggling because of its proximity to the international border, with an expanding nexus involving narcotics trafficking, illegal arms supply and terror financing.
The Union government has already set up a Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) to monitor investigations into major drug cases. So far, the NCB has held four state-level JCC meetings in Punjab to tackle organised drug syndicates and their links to terror financing.
A four-tier Narco-Coordination Centre (NCORD) mechanism has also been established to ensure regular coordination among central ministries, state governments, law enforcement agencies and other stakeholders.
Punjab shares a 553-km international border with Pakistan, passing through Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Batala, Amritsar Rural, Tarn Taran, Ferozepur and Fazilka.