Most significantly, the collapse of the Afghan supply has not eliminated the Golden Crescent as a geopolitical risk; rather, it has redistributed it. Syndicates that historically depended on Afghan-origin heroin are now diversifying their products, and some of it is flowing eastward into India.
“Myanmar has now overtaken Afghanistan as the leading source of illicit opium, with the change driven by the after-effects of the Taliban’s ban on poppy cultivation and the continued expansion of cultivation in Myanmar amid conflict and economic breakdown. The porous border between India and Myanmar and the Free Movement Regime facilitate trafficking, exacerbate local addiction, and fund insurgent groups,” the report said.
It also flagged a trafficking corridor from Myanmar into the Northeast as a major security concern, warning that the drug trade in the region is linked to arms smuggling and the financing of terror groups.
It pointed out that the Golden Triangle continues to be a major source of methamphetamine entering through the northeastern states. Mizoram accounted for the seizure of 1,477 kg of ATS, or 42 per cent of the total national seizure of 3,269 kg, followed by Manipur (535 kg), Delhi (454 kg), Gujarat (308 kg) and Karnataka (164 kg).
While encrypted messaging platforms such as Telegram, WhatsApp and Signal have become channels for drug trafficking worldwide, including in India, Telegram has emerged as a key platform.
The report stated that Telegram has become a prominent drug advertising platform, with public channels offering product listings, pricing and delivery details to large subscriber bases.
“Unlike darknet markets, which require specialised access, these platforms are widely accessible via smartphones, lowering entry barriers and enabling broader reach. Enforcement on these platforms is challenging because of jurisdictional issues in securing platform cooperation, the ephemeral nature of content, including auto-deletion of messages, and the use of multiple accounts, layered communication methods, and cryptocurrency payments by vendors to maintain anonymity,” it added.
Cannabis (ganja, hashish and hashish oil) topped the list of seizures at 633.59 tonnes, up from 540.8 tonnes in 2024, though it has not touched the high of 816.9 tonnes recorded in 2021.
Opiates (heroin, opium, morphine, codeine and poppy straw) accounted for 361.42 tonnes, or 29 per cent of total seizures. Pharmaceutical drugs accounted for 237.29 tonnes (19 per cent), while amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS), cocaine, controlled substances and synthetic drugs accounted for 8.57 tonnes, or one per cent.