₹7,350 cr drugs seized but no trials? Questions arise over enforcement and accountability in Gujarat

Despite decades of prohibition and the government’s repeated claims of an “alcohol- and drug-free” state, Gujarat continues to report some of the country’s biggest narcotics seizures. Critics argue that while headline-making raids are frequent, follow-through is weak, and kingpins remain untouched.

According to data tabled in the Lok Sabha by the Union Home Ministry, authorities seized 3,407 kg of drugs worth about ₹7,350 crore from Gujarat’s ports between 2021 and 2024. Officials also recovered 94.19 lakh drug tablets in the same period. However, no major arrests or trials have followed, prompting questions about the state’s ability to investigate trafficking networks.

Concerns over unchecked drug trade

The persistent flow of narcotics into Gujarat has fuelled criticism that the state has become a major entry point for drug trafficking. Even as the government highlights large seizures, open sales of liquor and drugs continue across cities and villages. Police in districts such as Ahmedabad report increasing circulation of charas, ganja and synthetic pills, raising fears about the number of young people falling into addiction.

The opposition says the contrast between repeated seizures and the lack of actionable breakthroughs points to systemic lapses. The central question remains: if thousands of crores’ worth of drugs are intercepted, how much might be entering undetected?

Opposition questions state government’s handling

Opposition leaders have intensified their criticism of the government’s handling of the issue. They say the continued flow of consignments suggests deeper failures in coastal surveillance and policing.

They also question how such large shipments reached Gujarat’s shores without intelligence alerts, and why investigators have been unable to identify those behind the consignments.

MLAs escalate allegations of official complicity

After MLA Jignesh Mevani’s recent remarks on the drug trade, Congress MLA Anant Patel sharpened the attack during a farmers’ protest rally in Sadalvel village, Chikhli. Patel alleged that liquor and drug rackets were flourishing in Gujarat “due to the blessings of those in power.”

He warned that police officers and other government employees “taking monthly kickbacks” from bootleggers and drug mafias would have their “true faces exposed by 2027.” Patel’s comments added to growing allegations of official complicity in the illicit trade.

Public anger grows over liquor and drug networks

Mevani’s earlier statements triggered controversy, but they also reflected long-standing public frustration. In Tharad, residents held demonstrations demanding action against illegal liquor and narcotics. Locals carried placards and shouted slogans criticising the police.

Women in Shivnagar, Tharad, had previously gathered at the DSP office to protest what they described as rampant open sale of liquor and drugs. Following Mevani’s remarks on exposing corrupt officials, tensions in the region escalated further.

Unanswered questions over seized consignments

Despite multiple high-value seizures, investigators have yet to identify the masterminds behind the shipments. No clarity has emerged on who owned the drugs, who sent them or how they bypassed surveillance. The absence of answers has deepened suspicion and reinforced the opposition’s charge that the state is failing to curb the narcotics trade.

As seizures continue and cases remain stalled, demands for greater transparency, accountability and thorough investigation are growing louder across Gujarat.