Bihar’s prohibition policy has coincided with a sharp rise in narcotics-related cases registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, with cases increasing from 697 in 2019 to 1,905 in early 2026, according to a recent investigative report in a leading daily.

Seizures of drug pills have reportedly increased 30-fold, while heroin use is also on the rise, according to an investigative report published by The Indian Express.

The investigation has highlighted the emergence of a new drug, locally known as ‘kota’, which is reportedly smuggled into Bihar from Nepal and the Northeast. The substance is transported in everyday items such as soap boxes and clothing before reaching consumers, including those in rural areas.

At the same time, de-addiction centres are struggling to cope with demand, with some facilities reportedly serving up to 20 times their intended number of patients, the report shows.

According to the report, although police seize thousands of litres of illicit liquor every day, the narcotics trade has continued to expand across the state. The growing availability of drugs has also raised concerns about increasing substance use among juveniles, highlighting a possible shift from alcohol consumption towards more dangerous intoxicating substances.

The report points out that the spread of drugs has received less attention than the movement of illicit liquor. Beyond smuggled bottles, a parallel network of intoxicants is taking shape, involving pocket-sized packets, strips of tablets, heroin, the distinctive variant known as ‘kota’, small vials and drugs concealed in soap boxes or even folds of clothing such as petticoats.

Experts cited in the investigation have also pointed to a change in the profile of people seeking treatment for substance dependence.

The concern, they said, is not limited to the growing number of patients, as the types of substances being consumed are changing as well. Earlier, a larger proportion of users depended on cannabis and other plant-based substances; this is now shifting rapidly towards semi-synthetic and synthetic drugs, with an increasing number of patients reportedly seeking help for heroin dependence.

The investigation further underlines the significant role played by geography in shaping Bihar’s narcotics trade, with the state’s location making it vulnerable to drug trafficking routes from neighbouring countries and the Northeast.

Describing the network as a ‘Death Triangle’, the report examines how heroin, the raw-heroin variant ‘kota’ and synthetic drugs enter Bihar through the Northeast, while also tracing the routes through which ganja and poppy husk reach the state, based on information provided by police.

The ‘Death Triangle’ refers to the Golden Triangle region of Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand, which has increasingly shifted its illegal production from traditional opium and heroin toward synthetic drugs like methamphetamine and a raw heroin variant known locally as ‘kota’, according to the report.

It notes that clandestine laboratories in Myanmar manufacture methamphetamine. Boxes containing ‘kota’ are reportedly transported from Myanmar in ready-made form.

It further shows that high-grade heroin, methamphetamine and ‘kota’ enter India through porous stretches of the borders adjoining Mizoram and Manipur. From there, consignments are transported along the Champhai-Aizawl-Silchar route into Assam. A relatively new supply route, reportedly running from Changlang to Tinsukia, is also believed to help traffickers bypass existing checks.

According to the report, carriers travel to the Northeast, collect boxes containing drugs and return by train. Some consignments are routed through districts in Bihar, including East Champaran, Kishanganj, Vaishali and Bhojpur. Once inside the state, the substances are distributed through tea shops, paan and cigarette outlets, as well as roadside sellers.

The investigation reveals that ganja enters Bihar through multiple routes, including Nepal, Tripura, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh; poppy husk is sourced from Nepal, Jharkhand and locations within Bihar itself, and charas is reportedly sourced mainly from Nepal and largely transported onwards rather than retained within Bihar.

Within this expanding trade, police officers and social workers have identified ‘kota’ as a new substance appearing in Bihar’s drug market. The report quoted a narcotics officer explaining how the term may have originated and gradually become associated with the substance itself.

“The name appears to have originated from the word ‘dose’. In local parlance, addicts and peddlers refer to a drug dose as a ‘quota’, and over time, the substance itself came to be known among users as ‘kota’,” the officer was quoted as saying.

The police are particularly concerned about the spread of inexpensive drugs among economically disadvantaged communities, especially juveniles. Social workers who work with street children in Patna have repeatedly raised concerns about the growing accessibility of intoxicating substances to vulnerable young people, according to the report.

The investigation also highlighted that a national survey cited in a 2023 report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Social Justice and Empowerment provides one of the closest broad estimates of substance use among juveniles in Bihar. The survey estimated that around 99,000 children aged between 10 and 17 years in the state used cannabis, while approximately 40,000 used opioids and 29,000 used inhalants. It also estimated that about 8,000 children in the same age group used sedatives.

The Opposition raised concerns over the reported spread of narcotics in Bihar and questioned the lack of attention given to drug-related problems in Bihar.

Tagging Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Manoj Jha took to X to react to the development, writing, “Don’t stop talking about Punjab but look at Bihar too.”

Speaking to IANS, Jha said, “An entire generation has been ruined. This is what happens when the government has no control. The situation here is completely out of control. The government here has lost control of the situation.”

“I want people to give undivided attention to this issue. This problem is wiping out an entire generation of the state. That is why I tagged HM Shah in my post and urged him to give attention to Bihar also,” he added.

Alert personnel of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) detected foreign currency worth approximately Rs 1.14 crore concealed in the hand baggage of two passengers bound for Bangkok at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata.

The detection took place around 10:20 a.m. on October 19 during routine security screening at the International Terminal Security Hold Area. A CISF screener noticed suspicious images in the X-ray scans of the hand baggage carried by the two passengers scheduled to travel to Bangkok on Bhutan Airlines flight B3700. The bags were subsequently referred for physical examination.

During the inspection, CISF personnel recovered USD 1,19,900, equivalent to approximately Rs 1,13,64,002, concealed inside false bottoms of the two bags. The foreign currency had been wrapped in newspaper in an apparent attempt to conceal it from security personnel.

Of the total amount recovered, USD 74,900 was found in the hand baggage of one passenger, while USD 45,000 was recovered from the other passenger’s bag.

Following the prescribed formalities, both passengers, along with the seized currency, were handed over to the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of Customs for further investigation and necessary legal action.

On October 20, the passenger from whose baggage USD 74,900 was recovered was taken by AIU/Customs officials to the District and Sessions Court for further legal proceedings following the investigation and seizure. The second passenger was released by Customs after the issuance of a detention receipt for the USD 45,000 recovered from the passenger’s baggage.

CISF in a release reiterated its commitment to maintaining aviation security through effective screening procedures, alert surveillance and professional conduct by its personnel. According to officials, the detection stresses the importance of coordinated action between airport security personnel and Customs authorities in addressing suspected financial and currency-related violations.

A 27-year-old businessman was arrested by Naroda police after 0.77 grams of suspected mephedrone, valued at Rs 1,540, was found in a parcel being delivered through the Porter application near Nana Chiloda Circle in Ahmedabad, police said on Wednesday.

The case came to light after police received a control-room message about a suspicious parcel that had arrived for delivery through the application.

The substance was examined preliminarily by a Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) officer in the presence of panch witnesses and was found to be mephedrone, a synthetic drug.

Police seized the substance and initially registered an offence against three unidentified mobile phone holders under Sections 8(c), 22(a) and 29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

During the investigation, they traced and arrested the man suspected of ordering the consignment through the parcel.

The accused was identified as Priyang Sanghvi (27). He is a businessman who lives in Aram Park Flats in the Sabarmati area of the city. He is originally from Shirodi village in Rajasthan’s Sirohi district.

According to the police, the suspected method involved using a mobile phone number belonging to a witness to log in to the Porter application.

Drug consignments were allegedly packed separately in zipper bags and sent through the delivery service. An intermediary was allegedly used to distribute the drugs to different customers for sale.

The police said the arrest followed instructions from senior officers to curb the illegal sale and transportation of narcotic substances and detect offences related to them.

“The operation was conducted by Naroda police personnel under the supervision of Senior Police Inspector B M Katariya,” officials said.

The police seized 0.77 grams of mephedrone, valued at Rs 1,540. The investigation concerns the alleged use of a parcel delivery application to transport the substance and its subsequent distribution through an intermediary.