Gujarat to set up six new anti-narcotics task force units to tackle drug menace

Gandhinagar, Aug 25 (IANS) The Gujarat government has announced the creation of six new Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) units across the state. The specialised units will operate in Gandhinagar, Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, and the Border Zone, with a mandate to crack down on drug smuggling, sale, and production.

The move significantly strengthens the state’s Narcotics Cell, which earlier had just 34 officers and staff. With the addition of ANTF, the sanctioned strength will rise to 211 personnel, including one Superintendent of Police (SP), six Deputy Superintendents of Police (DySPs), and 13 Police Inspectors (PIs).

The units will work under the overall supervision of CID (Crime) and will exclusively investigate cases registered under the NDPS Act.

Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi said the new units will launch “cutting-edge action” against drug mafias, suppliers, and peddlers operating within Gujarat and beyond.

“This marks a historic step in the fight against narcotics,” he said.

Director General of Police (DGP) Vikas Sahay added that the zonal structure will enable better coordination in drug-related investigations, helping ensure systematic probes and tougher punishments for offenders.

Key features of the ANTF units

In cases registered at local police stations, ANTF will adopt both “top-to-bottom” and “bottom-to-top” approaches, ensuring stronger oversight. Each unit will have a dedicated cell to analyse repeat offenders, syndicate structures, and inter-state drug networks, enabling targeted crackdowns.

With enhanced intelligence support, authorities will be able to fast-track preventive action against drug traffickers, similar to measures taken under the PASA Act. Officials said the establishment of these units will help dismantle narcotics networks across Gujarat, improve conviction rates in NDPS cases, and reinforce the state’s long-standing resolve to curb the drug menace.

In 2025, Gujarat law enforcement intensified anti-narcotics operations with significant results -- in January, the Gujarat ATS busted an illegal alprazolam manufacturing unit in Khambhat (Anand district), seizing 107 kg of alprazolam valued at approximately Rs 107 crore, along with 2,518 kg of precursor chemicals, and later recovered 500 kg of tramadol from a warehouse in Ahmedabad.

In mid-April, in a high-profile sea operation conducted jointly by the Gujarat ATS and Indian Coast Guard, over 300 kg of methamphetamine worth an estimated Rs 1,800 crore was recovered from the Arabian Sea after smugglers dumped the contraband to evade capture.

--IANS

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