Monday Musing
[ M Doley ]
Despite continued efforts by law enforcement agencies to crack down on drug suppliers and peddlers, Arunachal Pradesh has witnessed a worrying rise in drug seizures and arrests over the last several years.
While quantities seized are mostly small, cases of drug peddling are reported almost every other day.
The Home Ministry told the Lok Sabha in February this year that over 20,000 kg of narcotic substances, including cannabis (19,707 kg) and opium (503 kg), were seized in Arunachal between the years 2020 and November 2025. The highest seizure of cannabis – 7,002 kg – was recorded in 2025. Other than opium and cannabis-based drugs, no other narcotic substance was seized during that period, except for 100 gm of cocaine in 2021.
The Assam chief minister said last month that more than 26,500 offenders have been booked under the NDPS Act in Assam and narcotics worth over Rs 3,253 crore have been seized since 2021.
According to the ministry, 1,767 kg of opium-based, 1,94,390 kg of cannabis, and 365 kg of synthetic drugs and a significant quantity of other contraband substances were seized in Assam between 2021 and 2025.
These are not just figures but a reflection of the magnitude of the drug trafficking through the state.
Given that Assam is a major transit point for narcotics, there is a high possibility of drugs entering into Arunachal through poorly monitored check gates, especially during night time.
Poor surveillance, unemployment, peer pressure, and most significantly, the very low or nil conviction rates are the key factors driving the rise in drug-related cases.
When offenders go unpunished, it encourages them to repeat crimes with little fear of legal consequence.
In Arunachal, a total of 2,072 arrests were made under the NDPS Act between 2019 and 2024. But not a single conviction was recorded in Arunachal and four five other NE states, except for Manipur and Assam, which recorded 20 and 9 convictions, respectively, during that period.
Apart from better coordination between states and intelligence sharing, curbing drug inflow will need strict monitoring at check gates, and most importantly swift conviction of offenders, so that arrests turn into real deterrent.
