Chandigarh, May 8 -- For the second straight year, Punjab has registered the highest number of drug smuggling cases in the country, according to the 2024 data released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) on Wednesday. Through 2024, Punjab registered a total of 8,973 cases under various provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act - higher than 7,785 in 2023 and nearly double the 4,906 cases in 2022 - with the majority linked to drug trafficking and smuggling rather than personal consumption. As many as 6,060 cases (67%) were related to possession and recovery of drugs meant for smuggling, while 2,913 (33%) cases involved recovery of drugs meant for personal consumption. The NCRB data revealed that Punjab recorded the highest rate in the country for cases involving possession of drugs for smuggling, with 19.6 cases per lakh population. Experts believe the figures reflect the aggressive crackdown being carried out by the state against narcotics networks and organised drug trafficking. Punjab also topped the country in the overall NDPS case rate, registering 29 cases per lakh population in 2024. After Punjab, Himachal Pradesh stood second in the country in terms of ratio of cases related to possession of drugs for smuggling. The hill state registered 1,292 such cases, with a rate of around 17 cases per lakh population. A senior official of the Anti-Narcotics Task Force said the data reflected the state police's focused campaign against drug trafficking networks and major suppliers operating in the border state. He said Punjab Police had intensified intelligence-based operations and interstate coordination to dismantle narcotics syndicates. The figures are only expected to rise in 2025, when the state government launched its anti-drug campaign "Yudh Nashian Virudh" in March, with targeted crackdown on smugglers and their network. Phase 2 of the campaign, which began in January 2026, is also focusing on grassroots mobilisation, community awareness and rehabilitation. The government has roped in a team of 1.5 lakh volunteers, christened "Pinda de Pehredaar", who through Village Defence Committees (VDCs) are conducting anti-drug campaigns in nearly 13,000 villages across the state. A dedicated missed-call number "9899-100-002" also allows citizens to volunteer in the drive. Prioritising reintegration of drug addicts, those held for possession of small quantities of narcotics are being routed to rehabilation centres under Section 64-A of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, which grants immunity from prosecution if addicts volunteer for de-addiction treatment. According to the NCRB data, Punjab recorded 106 deaths due to drug overdose in 2024, second only to Tamil Nadu, which reported 313 such deaths. In 2023, Punjab had the highest number of drug overdose deaths for the second consecutive year, clocking 89 cases, though lower than 117 in 2022. The NCRB data also pointed towards a broader rise in crime registration in Punjab. The state registered 47,677 IPC/BNS and special law cases in 2024 compared to 44,872 in 2023 and 43,738 in 2022. Cybercrime cases also witnessed a sharp increase in 2024, rising from 511 cases in 2023 to 888 cases in 2024. Similarly, economic offences increased to 5,012 cases in 2024 from 4,393 cases in 2021....