‘17 tonnes of drugs seized in 3 years, 7k people arrested’

New Delhi: Delhi Police has seized over 17 tonnes of drugs and arrested 7,134 people in the last three years as part of their crackdown on the narcotics trade menace. The data was presented to the Lok Sabha by Nityanand Rai, minister of state for home affairs, detailing the city's anti-drugs strategy. The figures, spanning from 2023 to early 2026, underscore the scale of ‘Operation Kavach', an enforcement drive to dismantle the drug mafia and transition the capital toward a drug-free future. Between May 13, 2023, and Jan 23, 2026, police executed 12 intensive special operations that saw teams raiding 9,694 locations across the capital. These maneuvers led to the registration of 851 cases under the Narcotics Drugs & Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, alongside 1,690 cases under the Delhi Excise Act, 2009. Within the framework of these 12 ‘Kavach' drives alone, 2,640 suspects were taken into custody. At least 5,467 drug-related FIRs have been registered from 2023 to Feb 15, 2026. The volume of contraband recovered — 17,435 kilograms — includes a spectrum of illicit substances such as heroin, cocaine, opium, ganja, charas, smack and poppy seeds. During this period, authorities conducted 29 joint demolition operations in collaboration with civic agencies to destroy illegal structures used as operational hubs by drug syndicates. The govt said it had implemented a multi-layered awareness strategy to combat drug trafficking, utilising digital platforms and community partnerships to reach the youth. Central to this effort is the Manas (1933) toll-free helpline for reporting drug crimes, alongside the 14446 de-addiction helpline for counseling. Outreach initiatives like the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan (NMBA) have engaged over 24.9 crore people while the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has collaborated with spiritual organisations through Mission Spandan to sensitize nearly 3.5 crore participants. India currently maintains extradition treaties with 48 countries and specialised arrangements with 12 others, to facilitate the surrender of offenders residing abroad. A task force on darknet, crypto-currencies and courier (DCC) has been established to trace and deport high-level narcotics offenders.