Shattering Drug Cartels at Unprecedented Pace: HM Amit Shah

• 328 kg methamphetamine seized in Chhatarpur, worth ₹262 crore
• Two arrested; kingpin abroad identified and targeted for deportation
• Multi-agency coordination cited as key to PM’s drug-free India vision
• Delhi used as major hub for trafficking to India and overseas markets

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 23rd Nov: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday praised the joint team of the Narcotics Control Bureau and Delhi Police for dismantling a major trans-national methamphetamine cartel under Operation Crystal Fortress. He called the action a powerful step toward achieving the government’s objective of a drug-free India.

In a post on X, Shah said the government is dismantling drug syndicates at an unprecedented pace through a combined top-to-bottom and bottom-to-top investigative approach. He confirmed that enforcement agencies seized 328 kilograms of high-quality methamphetamine from a residence in Chhatarpur, New Delhi, valued at ₹262 crore, and arrested two individuals.

According to NCB, the operation followed months of surveillance, intelligence analysis, and technical intercepts that exposed a sophisticated trafficking chain. A woman from Nagaland and another suspect have been taken into custody, while efforts are underway to nab the alleged kingpin operating from abroad. Officials said he is also wanted in a case related to an earlier 82.5-kg cocaine seizure in the national capital.

Authorities noted that the cartel used Delhi as a key distribution centre for both domestic supply and overseas smuggling, relying on multiple couriers, safe houses, and layered handlers to evade detection.

Calling it one of Delhi’s biggest meth seizures, the NCB reaffirmed its focus on destroying synthetic drug networks and trans-border criminal operations. The agency also urged citizens to assist in the fight against narcotics by reporting information through the national helpline, MANAS, on toll-free number 1933.