India’s drug control agency has warned that a steep rise in illicit opium production in Myanmar is heightening the risk of narcotics trafficking into India’s northeastern states that share the international border.
The warning was highlighted in the agency’s annual report released in New Delhi at the 10th high-level meeting of the Narco-Coordination Centre. Union Home Minister Amit Shah unveiled the report along with a long-term policy document aimed at strengthening anti-drug measures.
According to the report, Afghanistan saw a major decline in opium cultivation after the Taliban imposed a ban in 2022. In contrast, Myanmar has recorded an expansion of more than 50% in opium production, with recent studies indicating the country has emerged as the world’s largest producer.
The report notes that the 1,643-km India–Myanmar border—running along Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh—includes terrain that is easy to infiltrate, increasing the threat of cross-border smuggling. It also flags the growing international spread of lab-made synthetic drugs such as methamphetamine and nitazenes.
In addition, the report points to a “second wave” of illegal circulation in some states, including codeine-based cough syrups and narcotic tablets. Traffickers are increasingly using drones, darknet platforms, encrypted apps such as Signal and Telegram, and cryptocurrency transactions. The government plans amendments to anti-narcotics laws and intensified border surveillance using AI-enabled monitoring and anti-drone systems.
