A total of 747 foreign nationals were arrested in narcotics-related cases in India in 2025, with citizens from Nepal accounting for the highest number, according to the Narcotics Control Bureau’s (NCB) Annual Report 2025.
The report said 203 Nepali nationals were arrested during the year, followed by 143 Nigerians and 97 Myanmar nationals. Bangladesh accounted for 17 arrests, while Kenya recorded 10. Ghana saw nine arrests and Uganda six. Russia, Brazil, Israel, Senegal and Tanzania accounted for four arrests each. Smaller numbers were reported from several other countries, including Afghanistan, Cameroon, Germany, Japan, Sudan and Sweden. However, the country-wise details of about 203 foreign nationals were not specified in the report.
Foreign arrests continue upward trend
The data showed that arrests of foreign nationals in narcotics cases increased to 747 in 2025 from 660 in 2024. The figure stood at 735 in 2023, 777 in 2022 and 593 in 2021, indicating that the number has remained consistently high over the past five years, Indian Express reports.
The figures suggest that foreign nationals continue to feature prominently in India's anti-narcotics enforcement efforts, with neighbouring countries and a few African nations accounting for a significant share of the arrests reported during the year.
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Record enforcement in anti-drug operations
The report also highlighted a sharp increase in overall narcotics enforcement across the country. A total of 1,83,675 people were arrested in anti-drug operations in 2025, compared with 1,22,224 in 2024, making it the highest number recorded during the 2021-2025 period.
Preventive action also increased during the year. The report said 810 detention orders were issued in 2025, up from 531 in 2024. Enforcement agencies also stepped up action against illegal cultivation. The area under poppy cultivation destroyed nearly doubled to 42,282 acres in 2025 from 22,512 acres in the previous year. Cannabis cultivation destroyed also increased to 38,193 acres from 34,018 acres in 2024. The numbers indicate an intensified focus on disrupting both drug trafficking and illicit cultivation.
Global drug market remains a challenge
The NCB report said amphetamine-type stimulants accounted for nearly half of all synthetic drug seizures worldwide in 2023, with methamphetamine and amphetamine continuing to dominate the market.
It said methamphetamine production remained concentrated in Mexico, Myanmar, Afghanistan, Czechia and the Netherlands, while trafficking networks expanded across Europe, Africa and the Near and Middle East. The report also flagged uncertainty over the future of the Captagon trade following political changes in Syria, warning that production could shift to other regions rather than disappear.
