The Narcotics Control Bureau's dismantling of a Captagon manufacturing and distribution network spanning Dehradun, Delhi, and Gujarat ports represents one of the more significant counter-narcotics operations in recent months, with direct implications for regional security architecture.[1]
The Seizure Architecture
The operation yielded 227.7 kg of Captagon across three interdiction points. The largest single seizure—196.2 kg—occurred at Mundra Port in Gujarat, indicating commercial cargo routing consistent with supply chains that transit the Indian Ocean before reaching consumption markets in West Asia.[1] An additional 31.5 kg was seized from a residential location in Delhi's Neb Sarai, and a functioning laboratory was dismantled in Dehradun.[1]
The network's international dimensions are evident in the Syrian link. The NCB continues to hunt a Syrian national connected to the operation, suggesting the manufacturing and distribution apparatus had foreign facilitation.[1] Captagon production is predominantly centred in Syria, where the drug has become a commodity of choice for militant groups operating across the Levant.[2]
Captagon as Jihadi Currency
The designation of Captagon as a "jihadi drug" reflects its documented use by combatants in the Syrian conflict and associated militant networks. The stimulant's properties—sustained alertness, reduced fear response—make it operationally useful for fighters engaged in extended campaigns. Its value as a currency within jihadi economies has been documented by multiple regional security assessments.[1]
The scale of the Indian seizures—particularly at Mundra—suggests the network was not merely supplying domestic consumption but serving as a transshipment node. India's geographic position astride major maritime trade routes makes its ports attractive for cargo-scale narcotics movements, a vulnerability that the NCB operation has begun to address.
Regional Context: West Asia Conflict and Supply Chains
The operation occurs against a backdrop of heightened instability in West Asia. The Iran-Israel conflict, now in its eighth decade, has disrupted established trade routes and created conditions that trafficking networks exploit.[2] LPG vessels continue to transit the Strait of Hormuz, indicating the waterway remains commercially viable despite the conflict, but security disruptions create both risk and opportunity for smuggling operations.[3]
The Mundra seizure's timing and scale suggest the network had established infrastructure prior to the current escalation. The presence of a manufacturing capability in Dehradun—rather than mere transit—indicates a more sophisticated operation than simple cargo smuggling, potentially involving local production or final-stage processing of precursor chemicals.
Institutional Response and Open Questions
The NCB's multi-point interdiction demonstrates coordination across India's federal law enforcement apparatus. The agency has pursued an international lead—the Syrian national—indicating awareness that jihadi drug networks operate across borders and require diplomatic and intelligence cooperation to fully dismantle.
Several questions remain open. The scale of the Dehradun laboratory's output capacity is not yet publicly quantified. The supply chain's upstream connections—whether to Syrian production facilities directly or through intermediary networks—remain under investigation. The identity and current location of the Syrian national sought by the NCB will determine whether the international dimension of the network can be fully mapped.
The operation signals that India's counter-narcotics apparatus is actively monitoring trafficking patterns through its maritime and urban infrastructure. The Mundra Port interdiction, in particular, indicates that cargo-scale movements are within the NCB's detection and response capability. Whether the agency has the resources to sustain this posture across India's extensive coastline and port infrastructure remains an operational question for subsequent monitoring.
Originally published on Aegis Research Engine — an independent South Asia security & geopolitical intelligence platform.
