In 2025, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Mumbai Zonal Unit made significant strides in combating narcotics networks as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision for a Drug-Free India. The unit confiscated a total of 5,560 kg of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, including cocaine, charas, ganja, mephedrone, and other prohibited substances.
During the year, 51 individuals were arrested in connection with these drug-related cases. The investigations also led to the freezing of properties valued at around Rs 18 crore, believed to have been acquired through drug trafficking proceeds. Additionally, preventive detention measures were successfully implemented under the PITNDPS Act, 1988, against a habitual offender who was relocated from Mumbai to Chennai.
Following a comprehensive approach advocated by the Prime Minister, the NCB Mumbai Zonal Unit registered 24 cases, resulting in the apprehension of various individuals involved in drug trafficking, from suppliers to key facilitators. The operations targeted international, inter-state, and intra-state drug trafficking networks, effectively disrupting their activities.
The NCB’s operations included cracking down on organised crime syndicates engaged in trafficking synthetic drugs like mephedrone. Collaborative efforts with state police forces led to the dismantling of clandestine drug laboratories and the seizure of significant quantities of illicit substances. Notably, an international cocaine trafficking network operating between the US and India was also dismantled, with the main culprit deported from Malaysia.
In a preventive action, individuals were intercepted in possession of chloral hydrate, a chemical used in manufacturing spurious liquor. While not falling under the NDPS Act, the seized material was handed over to the Maharashtra State Excise Department for further action. The NCB Mumbai unit also disrupted synthetic drug manufacturing networks by arresting key operatives involved in illegal chemical supply for ketamine production.
In a separate operation against illicitly diverted pharmaceutical drugs, alprazolam tablets were seized, leading to the arrest of a woman kingpin and her associates. Another syndicate involved in the illegal supply of codeine-based cough syrup and nitrazepam tablets was busted, with one arrest made and investigations ongoing. The NCB Mumbai unit also focused on awareness and capacity-building initiatives, conducting programs in educational institutions and training sessions for law enforcement agencies and stakeholders.
