Overview
- The NCB, which was praised by Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday, secured convictions for 73 offenders from January to March 2026.
- The cases span 35 prosecutions, with four convicts given 20 years, 54 receiving at least 10 years, and courts imposing Rs 1.22 crore in fines.
- Notable convictions included two heroin smuggling cases from 2021 and 2022 that led to 20-year terms for two foreign traffickers, and a 2023 pseudoephedrine diversion case that saw three Alps Life Sciences officials and the company itself convicted.
- The ministry reported the conviction rate rose to 68.6% in the first quarter of 2026 and said the NIDAAN database now holds 9.50 lakh records that help investigators oppose bail, track repeat offenders, and support NDPS prosecutions.
- The government cited wider use of the NCORD coordination network and approved Rs 420 crore to modernize state forensic labs, while the NCB urged other agencies to prioritize prosecuting undertrial cases tied to alleged drug kingpins.