India’s Narcotics Control Bureau has revealed that 106 Nigerians were arrested for drug-related offences in 2024, making them the second-highest group of foreign nationals implicated in narcotics crimes across the country.
According to a report published by The Indian Express, a total of 660 foreigners were arrested on drug trafficking charges within the year. Nepalese nationals topped the list with 203 arrests, followed by Nigerians with 106, while 25 Myanmarese citizens were also detained. The figures were drawn from the NCB’s annual report released by India’s Union Home Minister Amit Shah during the second national conference of heads of anti-narcotics task forces.
The report further listed 18 Bangladeshi nationals, 14 Ivorians, 13 Ghanaians, and 10 Icelanders among those arrested for narcotics offences. Authorities say the arrests reflect the growing international dimensions of India’s drug problem.
The NCB highlighted an alarming rise in cross-border smuggling through drones, particularly in northern states. Punjab alone recorded 163 drone-related drug trafficking cases, leading to the seizure of 187 kilograms of heroin, 5.39 kilograms of methamphetamine, and over 4 kilograms of opium. Rajasthan reported 15 such cases, with 39 kilograms of heroin recovered, while Jammu and Kashmir reported one drone case with 344 grams of heroin seized.
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“India is vulnerable to narcotics trafficking because of its position between two of the world’s largest drug-producing zones, the Death Crescent (Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran) and the Death Triangle (Myanmar, Thailand, Laos),” said NCB Director General Anurag Garg in the report. He added that Punjab, Rajasthan, and Jammu and Kashmir remain hotspots for heroin smuggling from Pakistan, while north-eastern states such as Manipur, Mizoram, and Nagaland face constant threats due to their proximity to Myanmar. Coastal states including Kerala, Gujarat, and Tamil Nadu are increasingly targeted for synthetic drug smuggling.
Home Minister Amit Shah, in his address, emphasized that the government’s war on drugs has moved beyond tackling street-level peddlers. He said the new focus is on dismantling major cartels operating at three levels: border entry points, nationwide distribution channels, and localized retail networks.
“The time has come to bring those running the drug trade in India while sitting abroad within the ambit of law,” Shah declared, noting that extradition of fugitive kingpins is now a priority. He also urged the adoption of advanced technology tools such as darknet monitoring, cryptocurrency tracking, and machine learning to disrupt the global networks fueling India’s drug crisis.
The revelation of Nigerians ranking second in India’s drug arrests is expected to spark fresh conversations about cross-border crime, immigration scrutiny, and Nigeria’s role in the global war on drugs.
