In the largest drug bust in history, authorities in New Delhi seized 560 kilograms of cocaine and 40 kilograms of marijuana in October 2024. The total amount is estimated to be around $669 million, and the operation arrested traffickers and dealers linked to an international criminal scheme. Within days, police found another 208 kilograms of cocaine hidden in packets of crisps and other food in a store.
In October 2024, police in the state of Gujarat seized 518 kilograms of cocaine from a pharmaceutical company, valued at about $595 million.
"It is well known that India has always been a hub for drug traffickers, but the number of corridors has increased and the traffickers have become even more inventive," Romesh Bhattacharjee, a former drug control commissioner, told DW. "It is difficult to confirm precise statistics, but it is estimated that for every kilogram of drugs that are seized, there are another 10 kilograms that are circulating freely," he added.
"Black cocaine" to deceive authorities
According to authorities, air smuggling has become the preferred method of trafficking cocaine in the country. "Smugglers often hide the drugs in luggage, courier packages or make people swallow them before transporting them. Along with cocaine, there has been a rise in the smuggling of methamphetamine, especially in northeastern states such as Assam and Mizoram," official reports also state.
A new worrying trend is the spread of "black cocaine", which is very difficult for authorities to detect. The white chemical substance is mixed with charcoal or iron oxide so that it cannot be detected. "We are facing a huge challenge - increasingly sophisticated smuggling methods, changing patterns of global trade and misuse of new technologies", an official of the Directorate of Revenue Investigation told DW, who wished to remain anonymous.
"There is a serious increase in cocaine consumption among Generation Z, as a result of their higher purchasing power", Shrekumar Menon, who previously headed the academy that trains customs officers, as well as those responsible for drug control, told DW. "Cocaine is an expensive drug and its increased consumption means a change in people's habits and preferences. Market analysis also reveals that cocaine users are also using methamphetamines," he added.
There are tens of millions of drug addicts
In 2018, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment estimated that 23 million people in India were using opioids, a 600% increase since 2004. According to authorities and experts, the number has increased significantly since then.
More and more young Indians are using heroin, methamphetamine and marijuana. There is also a rise in home laboratories that produce methamphetamines. A report presented to the Indian parliament in 2023 revealed alarming figures on drug abuse in the state of Punjab, where addiction among children is on the rise. The report found that in Punjab, more than 6.6 million people use drugs, with nearly 697,000 of them children between the ages of 10 and 17. Of these, 343,000 children use opioid drugs (including heroin), 18,100 use cocaine, and about 72,000 use other substances.
A major hub for neighboring and distant countries
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime identifies India as a major hub for trafficking substances that feed methamphetamine laboratories internationally - both in neighboring countries such as Myanmar and in distant destinations in Central America and Africa.
In April 2024, for example, in the city of Noida, police dismantled a foreign group that ran methamphetamine laboratories. Approximately 95 kilograms of methamphetamine, as well as various chemical substances and production equipment, were seized from the group, which was linked to a Mexican drug cartel.
Experts told DW that India's developed pharmaceutical industry creates serious prerequisites for such activity. The Indian government has created a mechanism to improve coordination between various ministries, departments and law enforcement agencies at the central and state levels in an attempt to counter the production and distribution of drugs.