India’s drug battle has reached a crucial crossroads, with government figures documenting an influx into and crackdown on cannabis-based products such as ganja, hashish and hashish oil. Responding in writing over a report to Lok Sabha, the MHA affirmed that in the past six years cumulative seizures have amounted to 38.89 lakh kg, with Odisha consistently leading the annual charts.
The Rise, Fall, and Rebound of Drug Seizures
The statistical track record of drug recoveries for the years 2020 to the present highlights a dynamic trend in both trafficking and drug enforcement. Seizures reached an all-time high level of 8.16 lakh kg in 2021 before a three-year steady decrease during a period of sharp ground-level efforts by agencies.
But then this trend reversed in 2025 and recoveries returned to 5.89 lakh kg by November: perhaps the drug trafficking has picked back up again, potentially as a result of better detection by agencies such as the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI).
At the heart of these recoveries is Odisha
In the 2020–2025 period, Odisha recorded 10.65 lakh kg of seizures; Odisha stands to be the hub of the crisis. The state’s unusual geography and extensive forested lands have long been exploited for illegal crop cultivation. Government officials observed that while Odisha had a huge lead, other states Andhra Pradesh (5.5 lakh kg) and Rajasthan, among others are also experiencing trafficking changes. Rajasthan especially enjoyed rapid increases from 14,826 kg in 2020 to over 58,000 kg by 2025.
PTI INFOGRAPHICS | Nearly 39 lakh kg ganja, hashish seized across India since 2020; Odisha accounts for 27%
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) February 11, 2026
Drug law enforcement agencies have seized nearly 39 lakh kg of cannabis based drugs across India since 2020, with Odisha alone accounting for more than 27 per cent of the… pic.twitter.com/KJSEIhqg6Y
Shifting Trafficking Dynamics
The MHA paper showed the shifting face of the trade. As traditional hotspots like Chhattisgarh and Karnataka saw their seizure numbers decline by almost half, new frontiers are breaking ground.
- Hydroponic Surge: Operations in late 2025, like "Operation Weed Out," have identified high-quality "hydroponic weed" on routes from Bangkok to the major metros of India being smuggled.
- National Security Connection: Agents made note that the funds derived from illicit cannabis trafficking are often re-spent on anti-national schemes and extremist movements, which is why drug enforcement is a national security cornerstone.
The government is expanding its NCORD (Narco-Coordination Centre) which is now a 4-tier coordination system between the central and state agencies to cut through the financial bases of these drug syndicates.
