Chandigarh, Oct 12 (PTI) Haryana authorities are taking action to dismantle 71 drug cartels and the state police arrested 6,824 accused in various cases between January and September this year, according to officials.
The state government is focusing on strengthening cyber investigations, monitoring the financial activities of drug cartels, curbing the misuse of medicines and chemicals, and expediting prosecution to make the campaign against drug trafficking more effective, they said.
Accordingly, the state’s strategy is being strengthened in line with the national framework for drug control being prepared for 2026-29.
These initiatives were reviewed at a high-level meeting of the Haryana State Narcotics Control Bureau (HSNCB), chaired by Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi here on Monday.
Additional Chief Secretary, Home Department, Sudhir Rajpal said that Union Home Minister Amit Shah had recently set an ambitious target for the states.
He said that, just as terrorism and Naxalism had been eliminated in the country, efforts must be made to eradicate the drug trade as well. This would require a time-bound, multi-pronged strategy.
HSNCB chairman Sanjay Kumar informed the meeting that 71 drug cartels had been identified in the state and action was underway to dismantle their networks.
He said a specialised unit is being developed to investigate drug trafficking through the dark web and transactions involving cryptocurrency, according to an official statement.
A cyber expert has also been engaged to strengthen expertise in cyber investigations.
He said that, alongside conventional police action, special emphasis was being placed on tracing illicit proceeds from drug trafficking, identifying organised trafficking networks, and strengthening coordination among the police, prosecution and regulatory agencies.
The ADGP informed the meeting that Haryana Police registered 3,809 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and arrested 6,824 accused between January and September 2026.
Compared with the corresponding period last year, the number of cases increased by 39.93 per cent and arrests by 26.53 per cent. During January-September 2025, 2,722 cases had been registered and 5,393 accused arrested.
Cases involving commercial quantities of contraband increased from 346 to 380, while cases involving intermediate quantities rose from 1,887 to 2,844, registering an increase of 50.72 per cent.
Regarding action against properties linked to drug trafficking, he stated that properties worth Rs 19.52 crore had been attached in 113 cases between January and September 2026.
During the corresponding period last year, properties worth Rs 5.92 crore had been attached in 49 cases. Thus, the value of attached properties increased by 229.72 per cent, while the number of property attachment cases rose by 130.61 per cent, he said.
HSNCB Chairman Sanjay Kumar informed the meeting that, from 2022 to September 2026, 176 unauthorised or illegally occupied properties linked to 167 drug traffickers had been demolished.
A specialised Financial Investigation Cell has been established at the Bureau’s headquarters to strengthen financial investigations in narcotics cases involving commercial quantities. Under this initiative, 139 police personnel have received training through four specialised training courses.
The Bureau is conducting financial investigations based on documents related to identified drug cartels to trace the sources of illicit income and their financial networks.
He said that a significant increase had also been recorded in drug seizures. Between January and September 2026, heroin seizures rose from 43.176 kg in the corresponding period last year to 84.695 kg, an increase of 96.16 per cent.
Opium seizures increased from 235.550 kg to 430.326 kg, while cocaine seizures rose from 1,004.76 grams to 2,958.757 grams.
“The meeting identified the illegal use and abuse of medicines such as pregabalin, zopiclone and tapentadol for intoxicating purposes as an emerging challenge. Proposals for necessary policy and regulatory measures to prevent their misuse and improve coordination among the concerned departments were also discussed,” he said.
Monitoring precursor chemicals that may be used in the manufacture of synthetic drugs has also been made an important part of the strategy. PTI SUN RT
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