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Taking decisive action against drug trafficking and organized crime networks in Punjab, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said on Sunday (December 28) that the state is moving towards a decisive victory. In the last three and a half years, 85,418 drug traffickers have been arrested. The conviction rate under the NDPS (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances) Act has been 88 percent, and 916 gangsters have been arrested since January 1, 2025.
Reviewing the performance of the police department, the Chief Minister said that strict enforcement, thorough investigations, and zero political interference are yielding results on the ground. This reflects a clear shift from rhetoric to concrete action in Punjab’s long fight against the menace of drugs.
Punjab: Drug traffickers’ property worth Rs 2,730 crore seized, 916 gangsters arrested this year, CM Mann praises police
63,053 cases registered against drug traffickers – CM
During the meeting, the Chief Minister said, “Since his government came to power, 63,053 cases have been registered against drug traffickers. Since the launch of the ‘War Against Drugs’ campaign in 2025, the police have registered 30,144 FIRs and arrested 40,302 traffickers. This unique campaign was launched on March 1, 2025, and has been largely successful in curbing drug abuse.”
Multi-pronged strategy formulated to tackle drugs – CM
CM Mann further said, “A multi-pronged strategy based on three principles—enforcement, de-addiction, and prevention—has been formulated to tackle drugs, and the results have been extremely encouraging. Under this campaign, major action has been taken against drug suppliers, and trafficking networks have been dismantled.” “In the last three and a half years, 5,119.94 kg of heroin, 3,458.53 kg of opium, 5.82 kg of cocaine, 82.04 kg of ice, 4.98 crore capsules, and drug money worth Rs 52.46 crore have been recovered.”
Punjab: Drug traffickers’ properties worth Rs 2,730 crore seized, 916 gangsters arrested this year, CM Mann praises police
Fight against drugs a priority – Bhagwant Mann
The Punjab CM further said, “The state has given top priority to the fight against drugs since 2022. A comprehensive, continuous, and results-oriented approach has been adopted, which includes enforcement, financial disruption, technology-based policing, ensuring convictions, public participation, and rehabilitation.” He said that the Punjab Police’s Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) has been at the forefront of implementing this strategy, resulting in a positive impact on all key indicators.
Bhagwant Singh Mann said that enforcement efforts have now moved beyond minor seizures to targeted actions against commercial quantity cases, habitual offenders, and organized trafficking networks, thereby breaking the drug supply chain at higher levels.
‘Over 1,400 cases for seizure of illegal properties’
The Chief Minister informed that significant results have been achieved through financial investigations. More than 1,400 cases have been registered for the seizure of illegally acquired properties. Properties worth over Rs 2,730 crore have been seized during the period 2022-2025. He said that this has sent a clear message that earnings from drug-related crimes will not be tolerated in Punjab.
Over 21,600 cases resulted in convictions – Bhagwant Mann
He said, “As a result of the quality of investigation and effective legal advocacy, more than 25,000 NDPS cases have resulted in convictions by the courts.” Cases were disposed of, resulting in over 21,600 convictions. The overall conviction rate stood at approximately 84 percent, which has been steadily improving and reached around 88 percent in 2025. This reflects robust case preparation, forensic support, and effective prosecution. He said that technological capabilities have been significantly strengthened through PAIS-based analysis, technical cells, digital forensics, and intelligence sharing.
Concrete steps to curb drone-based drug trafficking
The Chief Minister said that the ‘Safe Punjab WhatsApp Chatbot’ has emerged as a major citizen-participation initiative, through which nearly 30,000 actionable inputs were received, leading to the registration of over 11,000 FIRs and approximately 14,000 arrests. Its conviction rate was approximately 38 percent, reflecting public trust and an effective response mechanism. He informed that the state government has significantly enhanced its capabilities to counter drone-based drug trafficking, resulting in the recovery of hundreds of drones in recent years and achieving significant success in curbing drone activities in 2025.
Referring to the action against gangsters, Bhagwant Singh Mann said that from January 1 to December 17, the Punjab Police arrested 916 gangsters, neutralized 13 in encounters, busted 389 modules, and recovered 594 weapons.
