The fight against the growing drug crisis in the Northeast has entered a decisive phase, with states across the region pledging a unified and technology-backed response to dismantle the narcotics network that has taken deep root in the frontier.
Senior law enforcement officials from all Northeastern states, along with Sikkim and West Bengal, gathered in Chumoukedima, Nagaland, for a two-day Conference of Anti-Narcotics Task Forces (ANTF), co-hosted by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and Nagaland Police. The conference marks a significant step towards regional cooperation to curb trafficking and addiction that have come to threaten both public health and national security.
Nagaland Director General of Police Rupin Sharma, delivering the keynote address, called for a “collective, technology-driven counteroffensive” to confront what he described as a “public health emergency and a national security threat.”
“The India-Myanmar border, largely unfenced and under the Free Movement Regime, allows traffickers to blend with ethnic kin and cross unchecked. Drug trafficking and abuse are no longer just law-and-order issues, they are direct threats to internal security and the future of our youth,” Sharma said.
He noted that the region has become the “pivot” of India’s war on drugs, given its proximity to the Golden Triangle and the porous border with Myanmar. According to estimates cited by Sharma, Nagaland alone has around 1.2 lakh drug users, with heroin, locally called “Shaanflower”, being the most commonly abused.
“Even if half of them consume half a gram daily, it translates to over 10,000 kilogrammes of heroin per year for Nagaland alone, and roughly one lakh kilogrammes for the entire Northeast,” he observed.
The DGP spotlighted that drug trafficking in the region fuels organised crime, insurgency, and narco-terrorism, with several insurgent cadres directly involved in trafficking networks. “Dismantling drug cartels is synonymous with enhancing national security,” he asserted.
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To strengthen inter-state coordination, Sharma urged the region’s police forces to shift from a “need to share” to a “duty to share” approach, proposing joint interrogations through video conferencing within 24 hours of arrests across states. “Coordination has been the Achilles heel of our fight against drugs. Traffickers exploit jurisdictional gaps, and that must end,” he said.
He also emphasised replacing traditional policing with advanced tools such as communication surveillance, darknet and cryptocurrency tracking, and digital forensics. Full compliance with the NIDAAN portal and real-time data exchange through NCORD and ANTF meetings were stressed as key to pre-emptive intelligence sharing.
Sharma called for drone and satellite mapping to identify poppy plantations and locate hidden synthetic drug labs, and urged closer coordination with banks and the Financial Intelligence Unit to track money trails. “While banking is now 24×7, law enforcement’s interface still functions 9 am to 6 pm. This must change,” he remarked.
At the policy level, the DGP proposed amendments to the NDPS Act, 1985, to introduce graded sentencing and reflect new-age challenges such as online drug sales and crypto-based transactions. He also suggested setting up a Northeast Anti-Drug Trafficking Agency for joint operations and dedicated narcotics forensic labs in each state.
Nagaland Police’s own technology-driven efforts have drawn attention across the region. Sharma highlighted initiatives including AI-assisted lawful intercept transcription with NIT Mizoram, ANPR cameras on trafficking routes, and facial recognition systems for monitoring suspect vehicles and individuals.
Calling rehabilitation “a defeat for the cartel,” Sharma stressed collaboration with NGOs, churches, and civil society to address addiction from a health and social perspective. “We must integrate law enforcement with public health — a recovered addict is a success story for the community,” he said.
Delegates at the conference agreed to deepen inter-agency coordination, pool intelligence, and adopt unified technological systems to counter the trafficking web that stretches across state borders.
“The battle against drugs is a prolonged war fought on challenging frontiers. Let us target the kingpins, strengthen inter-agency trust, and secure the future of the Northeast for a truly Drug-Free India,” Sharma concluded.
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