Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday said drugs with a market value of Rs 2,919 crore have been seized in the state over the past five years.
Sarma said that since the BJP-led government came to power in 2016, drugs worth Rs 2,170 crore have been recovered by security forces.
"Seizures during the 2011–16 period were valued at Rs 400 crore, taking the cumulative figure over the last 15 years to Rs 2,919 crore," he added.
Describing the fight against banned drugs and psychotropic substances as one of the most visible initiatives of the Assam Police in recent years, the Chief Minister said more than 23,000 people have been arrested in drug-related cases over the last five years.
He also noted that seizures between 2021 and 2025 alone exceeded Rs 2,900 crore, far higher than the Rs 400 crore worth of drugs seized between 2011 and 2016 and nearly four times the Rs 780 crore seized during 2016–21.
Sharing year-wise data, Sarma said drugs worth Rs 419.47 crore were seized in 2025, Rs 658.76 crore in 2024, Rs 722.55 crore in 2023, and Rs 383.64 crore each in 2022 and 2021.
He further detailed the seizures made in 2025, which included 87 kg of heroin, over 1,381 kg of ganja, 27.27 lakh psychotropic tablets, 1.26 lakh bottles of cough syrup, 209 kg of opium and 48 kg of morphine.
The Chief Minister said enforcement action has also targeted the financial base of narcotics networks.
In 2022, properties belonging to 633 persons involved in opium cultivation were attached.
"The combined market value of seized drugs and attached properties stood at Rs 179.79 crore in 2020, rose to Rs 735.54 crore in 2022 and remained above Rs 650 crore in 2024," he said.
According to Sarma, 20,265 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act were registered during the period, leading to the arrest of 4,453 people.
He added that the overall crime rate per lakh population has dropped from 379 in 2021 to 123.9 in 2025, indicating a sharp decline in drug-related offences.