NCB Flags Myanmar Trafficking Route, Synthetic Opioids as Major Threats in 2025 Report
The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has released its Annual Report for 2025, highlighting a trafficking corridor from Myanmar into India's North-East as a major security concern. The report warns that drug trafficking in the region is linked to arms smuggling and the financing of militant groups.
According to the report, Myanmar has overtaken Afghanistan as the leading source of illicit opium. This shift is attributed to the Taliban's ban on poppy cultivation and the continued expansion of cultivation in Myanmar amid conflict and economic breakdown. The porous border and cross-border movement regimes in the region heighten the risk.
The report also notes that India faces mounting pressure from a rapidly changing global narcotics landscape, marked by the rise of ultra-potent synthetic opioids and record cocaine output. NCB Director General Anurag Garg stated that drug law enforcement agencies across the country registered an all-time high of over 1.48 lakh cases and seized more than 1,200 tonnes of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. The scale and diversity of seizures underscore the evolving and complex nature of the threat.
The report flags two emerging threats: the spread of nitazenes, a class of synthetic opioids said to be 500 times more potent than heroin, and the increasing link between drug trafficking and organised violence across transit economies. Synthetic drug markets are becoming more lethal and less predictable. The detection of nitazenes widened sharply from 13 countries in 2019-2020 to 35 countries by 2023-2024.
For India, the implications are strategic. The country is now exposed to supply-side pressure from all major trafficking corridors, requiring closer coordination among enforcement agencies and sharper monitoring of its maritime neighbourhood.
Global cocaine production reached a record 3,708 tonnes in 2023, a 34% increase over the previous year. This surge has contributed to a steep fall of around 40% in coca paste prices and appears to be pushing trafficking networks to diversify into newer destination markets, including India. Cocaine production remains concentrated in the Andean region, with Colombia accounting for the largest share.
The report also highlights how encrypted messaging platforms such as Telegram, WhatsApp, and Signal have become major channels for drug trafficking worldwide, including in India. Unlike darknet markets, these platforms are widely accessible, posing significant challenges for enforcement.
