Jaipur, Jan. 21 -- At least 7,919 people were arrested for drug smuggling in Rajasthan in 2025, according to data released on Tuesday by the Rajasthan Anti Narcotic Task Force (ANTF). According to the data, at least 6,253 drug smuggling cases were registered in Rajasthan in 2025. In 2024, the corresponding figure was 5,476 in 2024, when police arrested 6,486 people. The data also showed that around 4,058 kilograms of MD drugs were seized in 2025 against 2,435 in 2024. Police also seized 10,968 kilograms ganja last year as opposed to 8,390 kilograms in 2024 while 814 kilograms of opium had also been seized last year against 722 last year. Over 700 cases were reported in Jaipur, followed by over 600 in Sriganganagar, and over 400 each in Bikaner and Hanumangarh. Meanwhile, the southern districts such as Udaipur, Chittorgarh, Jalore, Pali and Jhalawar also witnessed a high number of arrests in drug smuggling cases. The IG of ANTF, Vikas Kumar, said that the supply of illegal drugs from the eastern and north eastern states was rapidly increasing in the last few years while the traditional routes from Pakistan the state were on a decline. "Although there are several cases of drug smuggling through drones at the Pakistan border, Rajasthan is being used as a diversion to smuggle these drugs to Punjab. However, the rising security measures at the Pakistan border in both Punjab and Rajasthan are deterring these smugglers and they are looking for different routes," he said. "A significant amount of illegal drugs are also being supplied from the Madhya Pradesh border, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Goa. We can view it as a shift from Golden crescent to Golden triangle," he said. There was a shift from the Golden Crescent to the Golden Triangle, said Kumar. "Myanmar is now the leading global opium production after the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan. Both supply global drug markets with opiates and cannabis, with the Crescent traditionally supplying Africa, Europe, Americas, and Central Asia, while the Triangle serves Asian markets including in India, though both shift focus based on conflict and market demand," he added. According to the officials, Manipur, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Goa were major sources for synthetic drugs. "Although, we don't have exact figures as of now, the number of people being arrested from these different states in drug smuggling cases has gone up significantly in the last two years," said the IG. Last month, the ANTF seized over 200 kgs opium in SIkar supplied from Manipur. The smugglers took the drugs in small packets and stuffed them in the backlight of a private car. In another incident, the ANTF also held two people from Jharkhand when they were heading towards Jodhpur in a truck. "We also found that many local cops have been taking bribe and letting them go. Hence, we failed many times to trace them. Finally, I alerted them that the IG himself is coming in that truck and they will be suspended if they fail to trace them. Although, we could not yet identify which cops were involved but this trick worked and we arrested the smugglers," said Kumar. "They smuggle the drugs in trucks or private cars in various techniques and cross numerous state borders easily. ANTF is now not only focusing on the suppliers but are making proper strategies and nabbing the kingpins to finish all these rackets," said the inspector general....