India makes first-ever Captagon seizure worth ₹182 crore, says Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on May 16 announced that Indian enforcement agencies had made the country’s first-ever seizure of Captagon, a banned synthetic stimulant drug, with the consignment valued at around ₹182 crore.

According to Shah, the seizure was carried out under “Operation RAGEPILL” as part of the Centre’s anti-narcotics crackdown. He said a foreign national had also been arrested in connection with the case.

In a post on X, Shah said the Modi government remained committed to building a “Drug-Free India” and reiterated a “zero tolerance” policy against narcotics trafficking. He added that authorities would act against every attempt to use Indian territory as a transit route for international drug networks.

Captagon is a banned amphetamine-type stimulant that has gained notoriety in parts of West Asia and Europe. International agencies and media reports have previously linked the drug to organised crime syndicates, militant financing and trafficking networks operating across conflict-hit regions in the Middle East.

The drug, originally developed decades ago as a pharmaceutical product containing fenethylline, is now illegally manufactured and trafficked in synthetic form. Captagon tablets are often smuggled through maritime cargo routes and border networks.

Indian authorities did not immediately disclose where the seizure took place or the exact quantity of Captagon recovered. However, officials described the operation as a major breakthrough against transnational narcotics trafficking networks.

The seizure comes amid increasing global concern over synthetic drugs and narco-terror financing. Speaking at the R.N. Kao Memorial Lecture in New Delhi on Friday, Shah called for a coordinated international strategy against drug trafficking and narco-terrorism. He said India had prepared a roadmap to become a drug-free nation by 2047.

In recent years, Indian agencies including the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) and Coast Guard have intensified operations targeting maritime smuggling routes and international drug syndicates. Several large consignments of heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine have been seized from ports and coastal regions across the country.

The latest Captagon seizure is significant because it marks the first officially reported recovery of the drug in India, suggesting possible attempts by international trafficking groups to use Indian territory in broader narcotics supply chains linked to West Asia and Africa.

Investigations into the seized consignment and its suspected international links are currently underway.