India’s eastern borders affected by flow of opium from Myanmar: NCB, Pg8

Key Highlights:

• Myanmar has emerged as a primary global source of opium following the 2022 Taliban ban on drugs in Afghanistan.
• India's eastern borders, particularly Manipur, Mizoram, and Nagaland, are significantly impacted by increased drug production in Myanmar.
• The Free Movement Regime (FMR) along the India-Myanmar border is identified as a factor facilitating drug trafficking.
• Myanmar's illicit opium cultivation expanded by 56% between 2021 and 2023, reaching 45,200 hectares.
• Drone-based drug trafficking from Pakistan into Punjab saw a five-fold increase over five years, with 305 incidents reported in 2025.
• The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) released its 2026 annual report detailing these drug trafficking trends.

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Detailed Insights:

• The Manipur corridor, specifically via National Highway 102, serves as a primary land entry point for heroin and methamphetamine from Myanmar.
• Champhai in Mizoram is another major trafficking corridor due to its proximity to Myanmar's Chin State.
• Myanmar's Golden Triangle region has expanded into a poly-drug production hub, supplying both opiates and methamphetamine (Yaba tablets).
• Despite the 2022 Taliban crackdown, pre-ban Afghan narcotics continue to enter India through the western border.
• Western border trafficking routes include land frontiers in Punjab and Rajasthan, and maritime routes along the Gujarat and Maharashtra coastlines.
• The exponential rise in drone incidents reflects the growing operational maturity of trafficking networks using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to bypass traditional border controls.
• In 2025, Punjab accounted for 58% of total drug seizures in India, largely due to drone-based trafficking of heroin and methamphetamine.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB): India's nodal agency responsible for combating illicit drug trafficking and abuse.
• Free Movement Regime (FMR): A policy allowing tribes residing along the India-Myanmar border to travel up to 16 km into the other country without a visa.
• Golden Triangle: A region in Southeast Asia, primarily Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand, historically known for illicit opium production.
• Amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS): A group of psychoactive drugs, including methamphetamine, that stimulate the central nervous system.
• Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs): Aircraft operated without a human pilot on board, increasingly used for illicit cross-border activities like drug smuggling.