Punjab’s Drug War: What the Public Knows and What It Still Needs to Know

Punjab’s fight against drugs has produced large numbers of seizures, arrests and convictions in Srecent years. The state government has shared many of these figures openly. These must be acknowledged. At the same time, several basic questions that help citizens judge real progress still lack clear public answers. A regular white paper / statement that places the available data and the missing information side by side would strengthen public trust and improve the fight itself.

Here is a simple look at the main issues.

Public tips and participation

The government has not released detailed figures on how many tips it receives from ordinary citizens about drug trafficking or peddling.

How many inputs have come from the public? In how many cases was action taken? What was the final result? Sharing this information in simple form would encourage more people to come forward.

Action against chemists and licensed sellers

Between April 2025 and September 2026, the Drugs Wing conducted 16,788 inspections. It seized medicines worth ₹20.64 crore from 214 firms, suspended 520 chemist licences and cancelled 22 licences (Punjab government statement, October 2026).

What system stops the same people from restarting the business under a new name or through a relative? Is there a public list of cancelled licences linked to the owners?

Illegal manufacturing and raw material supply

Police regularly report large seizures of heroin, opium and pharmaceutical tablets. Detailed public information on illegal manufacturing units inside Punjab and neighbouring  states remains limited.How many illegal manufacturing or processing units have been found in the state or outside? Where are they located? Have the supply routes of the raw materials used to make these drugs been fully traced in major cases?

Size and nature of the drug networks

In 2025, Punjab Police registered nearly 30,000 NDPS cases, arrested around 40,000 people and seized 2,021 kg of heroin, the highest in a single year, along with large quantities of other drugs and drug money. Properties worth hundreds to thousands of crores have been frozen (Punjab Police and DGP statements, December 2025).

Of the people arrested and convicted, how many were low-level street peddlers and how many were mid-level or high-level organisers? How many complete local delivery chains, from border/ manufacturer to street, have been fully mapped and broken?

Accountability of powerful people

The government has transferred thousands of police personnel and taken action in some cases involving officers. Some past high-profile cases involving politicians and police have been investigated over the years.

Have any elected representatives been found involved in the drug trade or in giving protection? How many government servants, including police officers, have been charge-sheeted, dismissed or convicted for involvement or protection? Clear numbers and outcomes should be shared without harming ongoing cases.

Coordination between different departments

Police, Health and some other departments work together on de-addiction and enforcement drives.

Is there a fixed system that brings Taxation, Industry, Health, Excise and Police together regularly to track money trails and manufacturing sources? How often do these joint meetings happen and what

results are shared publicly?

Cross-border supply and the role of the Centre

Most heroin enters Punjab from across the Pakistan border, often by drones. Punjab has deployed its own anti-drone systems as a second line of defence. Hundreds of drones have been recovered in recent years.

Has the central government formally raised the issue of repeated border violations with Pakistan and with international agencies? What response has come? How many coordination meetings take place between central agencies (BSF, NCB and others) and Punjab Police? Are the outcomes of these meetings made public?

Performance of anti-drone systems

Punjab was among the first states to deploy vehicle-mounted anti-drone systems. These systems, along with BSF efforts, have helped recover hundreds of drones and associated drugs and weapons.

How many drone attempts are detected every month and how many are successfully stopped or recovered? What percentage of the border is currently covered? Are these systems fully linked with central agencies and what measured improvement in seizures can be linked to them?

Rehabilitation, convictions and deaths

The conviction rate under the NDPS Act reached 88 per cent in 2025 and about 89 per cent in early 2026 data, among the highest in India (Punjab Police official statements). Large numbers of people have been sent to de-addiction centres and OOAT clinics. New community-based follow-up models are being tried. Of the high number of convictions, how many involved only small street-level peddlers and how many involved bigger players? What is the current relapse rate after treatment? How many deaths linked to drug consumption are recorded every month in Punjab? Of these, how many involve drugs that came from across the border and how many involve locally manufactured or diverted pharmaceutical drugs? Is there a working system to protect witnesses and informers? Is there a clear time-bound plan with targets that is reviewed and shared with the public every three months?

The numbers already released by the Punjab government show that enforcement has become stronger. That is important and should be acknowledged.

At the same time, questions about the quality of networks broken, the long-term success of rehabilitation, the exact role of higher-level players, cross-border diplomacy and monthly drug-related deaths still need clear public answers.

A single, regularly updated white paper) report that puts the available data and the missing information side by side would help the government improve its work and help citizens understand the real progress. Transparency is not criticism. It is the best way to make the fight against drugs more effective and lasting.

Jatinder Pal Singh

Retd Commandant.