Joint State Committee Highlights Network‑Centric Approach to Counter Drugs

The third quarterly Joint Coordination Committee for Assam, convened by the Narcotics Control Bureau on November 7 in Guwahati, placed a strong emphasis on a network‑centric strategy to cripple drug trafficking networks. Chaired by NCB Deputy Director General (North‑East) R. Sudhakar, the meeting assembled senior representatives from NIA, Enforcement Directorate, DRI, BSF, CRPF, SSB, RPF, Customs, Income‑Tax Department, SIB, the state ANTF and superintendents of police from 13 high‑risk districts.

Delegates evaluated the evolving drug scenario in Assam, pinpointed fresh trafficking pathways, and identified operational bottlenecks. They agreed that dismantling the entire smuggling network required integrated intelligence, drawing from the Diagnostic Portal, Netgrid and the Financial Intelligence Unit.

Operation Trident was lauded as a benchmark of successful joint action: 38 coordinated teams swept across three North‑Eastern states, executing simultaneous raids that yielded large drug seizures. The operation showcased the effective partnership of NCB, the Enforcement Directorate and Mizoram police.

The committee also revisited the earlier Rajasthan JCC held in Jaipur, where NCB’s western deputy director and the Rajasthan ANTF IG co‑chaired talks on enhancing intelligence sharing, financial investigations and joint enforcement measures. Topics covered included the review of substantial non‑institutional drug cases, exposure of clandestine laboratories, monitoring of bail conditions for repeat offenders, curbing illegal opium and poppy straw movement, and the status of de‑addiction centers.

Concluding remarks stressed the need for sustained joint interrogations, rapid enforcement actions, and a unified vision outlined in the 2026‑29 drug control policy to achieve measurable reductions in narcotics trafficking across the region.