Punjab has witnessed the highest number of cases and arrests made under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act among six northern states and Union Territories (UTs) between 2020 and 2024, while Delhi emerged as a major hub for synthetic and precursor drugs, according to a comparative report based on Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) data.FILE: Punjab police arrests accused on way to J&K to smuggle the drugs.The report was based on data from six states and UTs, including Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi and Uttarakhand.Punjab registered 45,967 NDPS cases and arrested 62,245 persons during the five-year period — the highest among all jurisdictions studied, according to the report. The state also led in heroin seizures with 5,942.29 kg recovered and accounted for 56.7 million tablets seized.Also Read: Assam tops NDPS arrests in East, Northeast; Manipur leads heroin seizuresThe data highlighted distinct trafficking and consumption patterns across the region, with border states such as Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir showing high heroin and hashish seizures, while Delhi reflected a strong synthetic narcotics profile.Delhi records high cocaine, mephedrone seizuresDelhi stood out for its urban-market and logistics-linked narcotics network. Between 2020 and 2024, authorities seized 1,525.86 kg of cocaine, 272.51 kg of mephedrone and 989.45 kg of ephedrine/pseudoephedrine in the national capital.The report described Delhi as having the “clearest urban-market and synthetic/precursor profile” among the six regions, with enforcement agencies urged to monitor nightlife circuits, courier channels, logistics hubs and darknet-linked trafficking.Delhi also reported over 20.6 million tablets seized during the period.Haryana emerges as major transit corridorHaryana was identified as a major overland trafficking corridor linking Delhi-NCR, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and hill states. Authorities seized 51,074 kg of ganja, 74,828 kg of poppy husk/straw and 1,465.99 kg of opium in the state over five years.Also Read: Amit Shah declares war on drugs after eradicating MaoistsThe report said the state's extensive highway and rail connectivity necessitated sustained highway interdiction and logistics monitoring operations.J&K shows sustained heroin-hashish riskJammu and Kashmir recorded 897.20 kg of heroin seizures and 3,195.30 kg of hashish recoveries from 2020 to 2024, indicating what the report termed a “border-adjacent risk profile”.The report linked the seizures to Pakistan-linked smuggling exposure and vulnerabilities in mountainous transit routes.Hill states under scannerHimachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand registered lower overall case volumes compared to Punjab, Haryana and Delhi, but the report flagged increasing risks linked to hashish, heroin and pharmaceutical drugs.Himachal Pradesh recorded over 2,022 kg of hashish seizures during the five-year period, while Uttarakhand reported 1,389.90 kg.The report recommended closer intelligence-sharing among agencies including the NCB, BSF, SSB, state police units and railway authorities to tackle inter-state trafficking networks and precursor diversion.