Amit Shah Declares War on Drugs, Aims a Drug-Free India by 2047
Amit Shah Declares War on Drugs, Aims a Drug-Free India by 2047
Home Minister vows aggressive, cross-border action against narco-trafficking, highlighting Captagon seizures and a plan for India to become drug-free by 2047.
At the RN Kao Memorial lecture last Friday, home minister Amit Shah outlined his next mission before foreign diplomats, law enforcement chiefs and intelligence heads, virtually declaring a war on drugs and precursors after eradicating Left-wing extremism from India. After curbing Maoist influence, Shah framed the next big challenge as narco-trafficking and narco-terror.
While Shah spoke at the R&AW headquarters, the Narcotics Control Bureau was in the midst of an operation to seize 222.7 kilograms of Captagon, the so-called jihadi drug, worth Rs 200 crore. Shah used this moment to illustrate the scale of the threat and to call for stronger, trans-national cooperation against drug networks that cross borders and seas.
He outlined a complicated geography shaping the drug trade, noting India is wedged between the Af-Pak heroin production area and the Myanmar-Laos-Thailand “Dead Triangle,” with routes via Sri Lanka using high-speed boats and drones. He warned that South American cocaine is also finding its way to Indian shores, underscoring the need for tougher anti-drug laws and coordinated international action.
Shah argued that India has moved from a drug transiting point to a drug-consuming country as its economy has risen into the world’s top five. To combat this, he called for empowering the Narcotics Control Bureau with more human resources and for sustained trans-national cooperation that respects shared hard anti-drug standards, while rejecting the idea that recreational drugs are a benign narrative.
As background, Captagon is the common street name historically associated with Fenethylline, a synthetic stimulant, and its seizure under Operation Ragepill has become a touchstone in ongoing enforcement efforts. The government has signaled a long-term objective to make India drug-free by 2047, framing the fight as essential to national security and public health.
