India is facing a serious challenge from the illegal production, cultivation, trafficking and distribution of narcotic drugs. From cannabis cultivation in forested regions to clandestine synthetic-drug laboratories and the diversion of pharmaceutical products, the illegal drug economy operates through several different channels. Yet a fundamental question remains unanswered: how much illegal drug material is actually manufactured in India every year, and which states are responsible for the largest quantities?
The most important finding is that there is no comprehensive official estimate of the total quantity of illegal drugs manufactured annually in every Indian state. Government agencies publish information about seizures, arrests, criminal cases and the destruction of illicit crops. However, these figures cannot establish the total volume of drugs produced because much of the illegal supply remains undetected.
According to a Ministry of Home Affairs reply published in February 2026, state-wise information on narcotic substances seized during 2020–2025, up to November 2025, was reported to the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB). The government also acknowledged that the NCB does not maintain separate consolidated year-wise and state-wise data on trafficking networks or modules dismantled through joint operations. This illustrates the limitations of the available national picture.
The scale of enforcement activity is substantial. According to figures provided by the NCB in a parliamentary reply, drug-law enforcement agencies seized approximately 13.90 lakh kilograms of narcotic substances in 2023, 13.31 lakh kilograms in 2024 and 12.41 lakh kilograms in 2025. These figures cover seizures by enforcement agencies across India and should not be interpreted as quantities manufactured domestically.
The same government data records the destruction of 42,685 acres of illicit poppy cultivation and 38,219 acres of illicit cannabis cultivation during 2025. These figures demonstrate the scale of illegal cultivation detected and destroyed, but they do not reveal the total acreage cultivated or the quantity of finished drugs that would otherwise have reached the market.The government also reported that property worth approximately ₹836 crore was frozen or seized in financial investigations relating to narcotics cases during 2025. Such figures underline the importance of investigating the financial networks behind the drug trade rather than focusing exclusively on street-level sellers.
Source: Ministry of Home Affairs and Narcotics Control Bureau, parliamentary data published through the Press Information Bureau.
The National Crime Records Bureau’s state-wise statistics for 2024 provide a useful picture of where enforcement agencies recovered large quantities of narcotic substances. The figures cover multiple drug categories and do not distinguish between domestically manufactured drugs and substances produced elsewhere and transported into a state.Among the largest reported quantities seized in 2024 were:
Rajasthan: approximately 205,245 kg.
Odisha: approximately 141,704 kg.
Madhya Pradesh: approximately 95,893 kg.
Uttar Pradesh: approximately 73,284 kg.
Andhra Pradesh: approximately 52,141 kg.
Punjab: approximately 42,951 kg.
Bihar: approximately 32,988 kg.
Maharashtra: approximately 32,566 kg.
Haryana: approximately 25,607 kg.
Assam: approximately 23,651 kg.
West Bengal: approximately 22,897 kg.
These figures are drawn from the NCRB’s state-wise data on narcotic substances seized during 2024. They should be read as indicators of enforcement recoveries, not as a ranking of drug-manufacturing capacity. A state can record large seizures because it is a production area, a trafficking corridor, a major distribution market or a location where enforcement agencies have conducted extensive operations.
The distinction is essential. A state with comparatively low seizures cannot automatically be considered free from illegal drug production, just as a state with high seizures cannot automatically be described as the country’s largest drug-manufacturing centre.
Cannabis cultivation: Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and other regions
Illegal cannabis cultivation is an important part of India’s narcotics problem. Forested and remote areas can make detection difficult, while the movement of harvested material across state borders complicates enforcement.
Odisha and Andhra Pradesh have recorded substantial cannabis-related seizures. Chhattisgarh and other states also face challenges associated with illicit cultivation and distribution. However, seizure totals alone cannot determine the precise quantity cultivated or harvested in each state.
Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir are also associated with cannabis cultivation and the production of cannabis resin, commonly known as charas or hashish. The scale and nature of these activities vary by location, and official estimates of total illicit output remain incomplete.
Effective action requires mapping cultivation areas, identifying the networks that finance and transport harvested material, and ensuring that investigations reach the people organising commercial distribution.
Synthetic drugs and illegal laboratories
The production of synthetic drugs presents a different challenge. Unlike cannabis, which is cultivated, substances such as methamphetamine and mephedrone can be produced through chemical processes in clandestine laboratories.
Gujarat and Maharashtra have figured prominently in investigations involving synthetic drugs, chemical supply chains and major trafficking operations. India’s substantial legitimate pharmaceutical and chemical industries make regulatory oversight particularly important. Authorities must identify the diversion of precursor chemicals without disrupting lawful manufacturing and medical supplies.
Investigators need to establish where illegal laboratories operate, how chemicals are obtained, who finances the operations, and where the finished substances are distributed. But it would be misleading to estimate the total production of these drugs from the quantity seized in individual raids.
The same caution applies to pharmaceutical preparations. Prescription medicines and opioid-containing products may enter illegal markets through diversion, fraudulent distribution or unlawful sales. Such cases should be distinguished from the manufacture of prohibited substances in clandestine laboratories.
Punjab’s geographical proximity to the international border with Pakistan has made cross-border smuggling an important part of its narcotics challenge, particularly in relation to heroin. Enforcement agencies have also investigated synthetic drugs, pharmaceutical diversion and domestic trafficking networks.The NCRB recorded approximately 42,951 kilograms of narcotic substances seized in Punjab in 2024. This is a substantial enforcement figure, but it does not mean that 42,951 kilograms were manufactured in Punjab. The seized material could include drugs produced elsewhere, substances smuggled across borders, cannabis products and other narcotics recovered during different operations.
Punjab’s drug crisis cannot be addressed through arrests and seizures alone. Authorities must investigate the entire chain, from international suppliers and local distributors to financiers, transporters and individuals who facilitate the trade. Allegations against specific individuals or officials must be supported by verifiable evidence, and guilt must be determined through due legal process.The state also needs stronger rehabilitation services, prevention programmes in schools and colleges, support for families affected by addiction, and employment opportunities for vulnerable young people. Enforcement and public health measures must work together.
Manipur, Mizoram, Assam and other northeastern states face particular challenges because of their proximity to international trafficking routes connected with Myanmar and the wider Golden Triangle region. Authorities have reported seizures involving heroin, methamphetamine and other narcotic substances in the region.However, the presence of trafficking routes does not establish that every substance seized was manufactured locally. Some consignments may be produced outside India, transported through the region and distributed elsewhere. Other cases may involve domestic processing or local supply networks.A more accurate assessment would require authorities to publish separate data identifying the place of manufacture, place of seizure, country of origin where established, type of drug, quantity, and the outcome of the investigation.
There are several reasons why the total scale of illegal production remains uncertain. Clandestine laboratories are deliberately concealed, illicit cultivation can take place in inaccessible areas, and trafficking networks cross state and international boundaries. In addition, the quantity seized represents only the material detected by authorities.There is also a difference between the weight of a finished drug, the weight of raw plant material, the weight of a pharmaceutical preparation and the number of tablets or bottles seized. Combining these categories without clearly explaining the units can produce misleading totals.
India needs a comprehensive national database that distinguishes illegal production from cultivation, trafficking, pharmaceutical diversion and consumption. Every state should report confirmed laboratory discoveries, illicit crop destruction, precursor-chemical seizures, drug-wise recoveries, financial investigations, convictions and the outcomes of major trafficking cases.The database should also distinguish confirmed facts from estimates and allegations. Independent audits and regular parliamentary reviews could help establish whether enforcement efforts are reducing supply or merely shifting trafficking routes.
India’s official figures demonstrate that narcotics enforcement involves substantial quantities of seized substances and extensive efforts to destroy illicit crops. Yet the country cannot accurately state how many kilograms of illegal drugs are manufactured in each state annually on the basis of seizure figures alone.The central question is not simply how much drug material authorities have recovered. It is how much continues to be produced, how much enters India from abroad, how much reaches consumers, and who profits from the trade.Until these questions are answered through transparent, state-wise and drug-wise reporting, policymakers, journalists and citizens will continue to face an incomplete picture of the problem.
India needs stronger intelligence-sharing, effective border controls, action against illegal laboratories, accountability for those who facilitate trafficking, and accessible treatment for people affected by addiction. The ultimate measure of success must be a reduction in the supply of illegal drugs, the dismantling of criminal networks and fewer lives damaged by substance abuse not merely an increase in the number of seizures.
Sources: Ministry of Home Affairs parliamentary reply on narcotics seizures; Narcotics Control Bureau enforcement statistics; National Crime Records Bureau, Crime in India state-wise narcotics seizure data for 2024