India drug traffickers exploit encrypted apps and drones for smuggling

The Ministry of Home Affairs told the Rajya Sabha that the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has uncovered organised drug‑trafficking syndicates using a range of digital platforms – including WhatsApp, Telegram, Snapchat, Zangi, Signal and other social‑media apps – to coordinate the procurement, transport, concealment and distribution of narcotic drugs.

In the Punjab region, Pakistan‑based syndicates are also employing encrypted messaging services such as Skred and Zangi, together with virtual numbers, GPS‑enabled drones and forged KYC SIM cards, to drop heroin across the Indo‑Pak border. Security forces have recovered more than 160 drones and seized hundreds of kilograms of heroin in the first seven months of the year, including a recent 10.4 kg haul near Sufian village.

The government has responded by engaging cyber experts, expanding capacity‑building programmes with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Rashtriya Raksha University, and establishing joint coordination committees and a four‑tier Narco‑Coordination Centre to improve inter‑agency cooperation and forensic analysis of drone data.