While police routinely capture small-time peddlers, the real masterminds remain elusive, operating either from beyond the system’s reach or outside India’s borders
The war against drugs in Assam intensified following Himanta Biswa Sarma’s appointment as Chief Minister on May 10, 2021. Over the past four years, more than 16,000 individuals have been arrested for drug trafficking, and authorities have seized significant quantities of narcotics. Yet, despite these measures, the drug trade remains as persistent as ever. The grim reality is that while small-time peddlers and addicts face police crackdowns, the true masterminds behind the trade operate with impunity, either from outside the system or beyond India’s borders.
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From 2021 to 2025, Assam witnessed 237 police actions against drug trafficking, resulting in 68 fatalities and 188 injuries. Law enforcement arrested 16,721 individuals in various anti-narcotics operations. Despite this aggressive approach, the courts granted bail to many detainees due to inadequate evidence. Yearly breakdowns highlight the increasing scope of the issue:
- 2021: 2,271 individuals arrested
- 2022: 2,878 cases registered, leading to 4,691 arrests
- 2023: 4,700 people arrested
- 2024: 3,287 cases filed, resulting in 5,059 arrests
Yet, many arrestees were repeat offenders, pointing to a cycle of detention and re-entry into the drug trade. One of the biggest obstacles remains the sluggish pace of forensic investigations. More than 1,500 cases from the past year alone await forensic reports, allowing traffickers to exploit legal loopholes and return to their illegal business.
Record Seizures, Yet Drug Flow Continues
In 2024 alone, Assam Police seized:
- Heroin: 174 kg
- Ganja: Over 21,000 kg
- Psychotropic tablets: 33 lakh
- Morphine: 14 kg
- Cough syrup bottles: 2.3 lakh
These figures—amounting to narcotics worth ₹682.44 crore—indicate that while authorities are cracking down, they are merely scratching the surface of a deeply entrenched problem.
A high-ranking security official, speaking anonymously, revealed that “drug lords will never be out of the system.” While police routinely capture small-time peddlers, the real masterminds remain elusive, operating either from beyond the system’s reach or outside India’s borders. These traffickers orchestrate arrests of minor players, allowing authorities to believe they are making progress, while the larger operation remains intact.
Every day, law enforcement records minor seizures of 5 to 10 grams of drugs in districts like Kamrup, Dhubri, and Barpeta, but these are distractions from the larger network at play.
While the key drug trafficking routes remain unchanged, the methods and intermediaries keep evolving. Assam’s position bordering multiple states and countries makes it a crucial node in the international drug trade. Smugglers adjust their tactics, often modifying their transportation methods and communications to evade detection.
International and Interstate Drug Routes
- Myanmar Connection: Injectable heroin (No. 4) is smuggled from Myanmar via Manipur and Mizoram. Brown sugar, once uncommon, now increasingly enters Assam from north Indian states or Myanmar.
- Smugglers use two primary routes from Myanmar: Moreh (Manipur) and Zorinpui (Mizoram).
- From Moreh, drugs travel through Imphal to Guwahati via multiple pathways, including Silchar and Shillong.
- Smugglers bypass Guwahati’s Khanapara checkpoint by using Meghalaya’s 13th Mile, Jorbeel, and Pamohi routes.
- Bangladesh Route: Assam has historical drug trade links with Bangladesh, with multiple smuggling paths leading from Kurigram, Golakganj, and Mankachar into Guwahati.
- Bhutan Smuggling: Drugs from Assam reach Bhutan through routes like Rangia to Samdrup Jongkhar and Pathsala to Nanglang.
- Interstate Smuggling: Assam’s drug trade thrives through connections with West Bengal, Meghalaya, and Nagaland, utilising strategic highways and forested back routes.
Smugglers Stay Ahead of Law Enforcement
Drug traffickers frequently modify their strategies, employing ingenious methods to move narcotics undetected. Some of the tactics include:
- Vehicles with hidden compartments
- Concealing drugs inside truck bumpers
- Changing routes to avoid predictable police checkpoints
Despite repeated crackdowns, drug mafia networks adapt quickly, ensuring a steady supply of narcotics through Assam.
Most drug consignments entering Assam originate from neighbouring Manipur, which borders the infamous Golden Triangle—a global hotspot for narcotics production. This geographical vulnerability makes Assam a major transit hub for drugs entering India.
Manipur’s government has launched multiple anti-drug campaigns, such as the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) and the ‘War on Drugs’ initiative, but these efforts have failed to dismantle deeply rooted trafficking networks. Periodic raids and high-profile arrests create momentary media headlines but do little to address the broader crisis.
Assam’s struggle against drugs is exacerbated by its porous international borders. The Indo-Myanmar border remains largely unguarded, with no fencing along critical stretches between Vijaynagar and Pangsau Pass. Smugglers take advantage of minimal border security, slipping past Indian authorities with ease.
Similarly, the Indo-Bangladesh border lacks sufficient personnel and infrastructure to prevent smuggling. Only 12 BSF officers patrol a 30 km area near the Pol Srimantapur Custom Station, leaving significant vulnerabilities in border security.
Assam’s drug problem is not just a law enforcement issue but a larger governance failure. The government’s inability to:
- Strengthen border security
- Improve forensic investigation timelines
- Enhance police manpower and intelligence capabilities
This has allowed the drug trade to persist despite ongoing crackdowns.
A retired IPS officer acknowledged that while police conduct raids based on intelligence, large-scale trafficking operations remain largely undetected. Without significant investment in forensic infrastructure and border control, Assam’s fight against drugs remains an uphill battle.
The narcotics trade in Northeast India is more than just organised crime; it is also an economic survival mechanism for many. In Manipur’s remote hilly regions, where unemployment is rampant, poppy cultivation and drug trafficking provide a livelihood for thousands.
A lasting solution to the drug crisis demands more than police raids—it requires economic development, employment opportunities, and border control policies that cut off the supply chain at its source.
A War Without End?
Despite the Assam Special Task Force (STF) seizing 59 kg of heroin, 968,000 psychotropic tablets, and 37,000 bottles of Phensedyl cough syrup in less than two years, the drug trade remains resilient. New traffickers emerge as quickly as the old ones are arrested.
Unless India takes a multi-pronged approach—enhancing border security, reforming forensic investigation processes, and addressing economic drivers of drug trafficking—Assam will remain trapped in an endless cycle of seizures, arrests, and releases.
Without decisive action at the highest levels, Assam risks losing an entire generation to addiction and organised crime. The crisis is no longer just about law enforcement—it is a systemic failure that demands urgent national intervention.
