New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said that 274 fugitives involved in economic offences, terrorism, narcotics and gang wars have been extradited to India from 36 countries since 2019, as he unveiled a three-year national roadmap to intensify the fight against drug trafficking and abuse.
Addressing a press conference on narcotics control in Panaji, Goa, Shah said the government has launched a nationwide campaign against criminals who fled the country after committing serious offences, adding that all extradited fugitives have been brought before Indian courts.
He said 401 Red Corner Notices have been issued in the last three years, including 182 till July this year, and noted that the newly created BHARATPOL platform has connected more than 14 central agencies and police forces of all states to streamline extradition efforts. Properties worth around ₹17,874 crore belonging to fugitives have also been attached or confiscated since 2019, he said.
Shah said the Narendra Modi government had significantly strengthened internal security over the past decade, citing a decline in terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, the near elimination of Naxalism and improved peace in the Northeast. He said separatist sentiment in Jammu and Kashmir had reduced after the abrogation of Article 370 and that the region was moving on the path of development.
Turning to narcotics control, Shah described drugs as a major threat to future generations and said proceeds from the trade often fund terrorism. He said the government had transformed the anti-drug campaign into a coordinated national mission by targeting networks, financial channels and supply chains rather than focusing only on individual seizures.
The Home Minister said a four-tier NCORD mechanism was established in 2019, Anti-Narcotics Task Forces were promoted across states and a national database of narcotics offenders was created through the NIDAAN portal. Technology-driven investigations now target dark web networks, encrypted communications and cryptocurrency-linked transactions, he added.
Highlighting the results of the crackdown, Shah said that between 2014 and 2026, agencies seized more than 1.19 crore kilograms of narcotics valued at approximately ₹1.89 lakh crore, compared to 26 lakh kilograms worth ₹40,000 crore between 2004 and 2014. He added that 48.68 lakh kilograms of drugs had been destroyed during the past 12 years, compared to 3.36 lakh kilograms in the preceding decade.
He said NCORD has held 10 apex-level meetings, seven executive meetings, 277 state-level meetings and 16,798 district-level meetings, while India has signed agreements with 46 countries to strengthen international cooperation against narcotics trafficking.
Shah said the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan had reached nearly 25 crore citizens, while around 5.7 lakh people had been rehabilitated and freed from drug addiction.
Announcing the government’s anti-drug roadmap for 2026-2029, Shah said the period had been declared a mission-mode phase with fixed timelines, measurable targets and quarterly reviews. The strategy rests on four pillars — intelligence and operations-based enforcement, control of precursor chemicals and synthetic drugs, demand reduction and rehabilitation, and capacity building and coordination.
Under the plan, agencies will intensify financial investigations, prepare dossiers on major drug kingpins, strengthen border surveillance through scanners and risk-based profiling, and enhance international cooperation for tracking fugitives and money trails.
He said the number of de-addiction centres would be increased threefold to 1,751, around 10,000 volunteers would be mobilised for awareness campaigns, and fully equipped Anti-Narcotics Task Forces would be established in every state by March 2027 with central assistance.
Shah said educational institutions would be targeted through campaigns involving the NCC, NSS and My Bharat platform to create a network of “Nashamukti Mitras” and promote drug-free campuses.
“Just as Naxalism has been pushed towards extinction, the menace of drugs will also be eliminated with the same determination,” the Home Minister said.
