Jaipur: Rajasthan Police and BSF will soon launch a joint exercise in the state’s border districts to counter the growing use of drones to drop narcotics from across the international border, DGP Rajeev Kumar Sharma told TOI.“Plans are afoot in this direction for joint exercise to strengthen anti-drug operation,” Sharma said, adding that police are working to strengthen surveillance and response capabilities in border areas.The move comes amid heightened concern over the use of drones by cross-border drug networks. Union home ministry’s Vision Document on Narcotics Control 2026–2029 notes that cross-border drone drops have risen sharply, with 305 cases recorded along the western frontier in 2025.Rajasthan shares a long international border with Pakistan, making its western districts vulnerable to narcotics trafficking. Sriganganagar, Bikaner, Jaisalmer and Barmer have been identified as key areas for enhanced border management and action against cross-border crime and drug smuggling.The MHA document notes that India lies between two major narcotics-producing and trafficking regions — the “Death Crescent” to the northwest and the “Death Triangle” to the east — making the country both a target market and a transit corridor.For Rajasthan, the northwestern route is of particular concern because of its proximity to the Afghanistan-Pakistan narcotics-producing and transit region. Drug enforcement agencies have identified Rajasthan among the areas vulnerable to heroin trafficking through land borders, with drones increasingly being used to move consignments across Pakistan border.The document also flags a wider shift in trafficking patterns. Apart from heroin movement across the Indo-Pakistan border, it points to the growing use of porous borders in the Northeast for methamphetamine trafficking, as well as the movement of synthetic drugs, pharmaceutical preparations and precursor chemicals through organised cross-border networks.Centre had announced in May that anti-drone systems would be deployed along vulnerable border stretches within six months. Sources said efforts are now underway to identify gaps in anti-drone surveillance (ADS) in Rajasthan and improve coordination between state police and BSF.The proposed joint exercise is expected to focus on detection, response and coordination in districts considered vulnerable to drone-based smuggling.
