India makes first-ever Captagon seizure worth Rs 182 crore: Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced India’s first-ever seizure of banned stimulant Captagon worth Rs 182 crore under Operation Ragepill. A foreign national was arrested as authorities intensified crackdowns on international narcotics networks and reaffirmed the government’s zero-tolerance policy against drug trafficking

New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said enforcement agencies have made India’s first-ever seizure of Captagon, a banned synthetic stimulant, commonly referred to as the “Jihadi Drug”, valued at Rs 182 crore.

In a post on X, Shah said the seizure was made under Operation Ragepill and described it as a major step in the Centre’s anti-narcotics campaign. He said the consignment was destined for the Middle East and confirmed that a foreign national had been arrested in connection with the case.

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Modi govt is resolved for a Drug-Free India. Glad to share that through Operation RAGEPILL, our agencies have achieved the first-ever seizure of Captagon, the so-called Jihadi Drug, worth Rs 182 crore,” he said in a post. He noted that the operation reflected the government’s zero tolerance against drugs policy and reiterated that authorities would act against narcotics trafficking through or into India.

I repeat we will clamp down on every gram of drugs entering India or leaving the country using our territory as the transit route, Shah said while congratulating officers of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB). Captagon is a banned stimulant that has been linked internationally to organised crime and conflict zones in parts of West Asia.

Indian authorities have in recent years intensified monitoring of synthetic drugs and transnational narcotics networks operating through maritime and air cargo routes. The latest seizure comes amid a series of major anti-drug operations highlighted by Shah over the past year.

Earlier this month, the NCB seized 349 kg of high-grade cocaine worth Rs 1,745 crore in Mumbai after uncovering what Shah described as a major international narcotics ring. The agency said the operation followed a bottom-to-top investigation strategy tracing a smaller consignment to a larger network.

In another operation announced previously by Shah, the NCB recovered high-grade cocaine, ganja and cannabis gummies in Mumbai in a seizure estimated to be worth around Rs 200 crore. Investigators said the syndicate involved overseas operators and international courier routes.

According to reports, the NCB seized more than 1.33 lakh kg of narcotic substances worth nearly Rs 1,980 crore in 2025 and arrested 994 traffickers, including 25 foreign nationals, in 447 cases across the country.

Speaking at an anti-narcotics event on Friday, Shah said, “The government had prepared a roadmap to make India drug-free by 2047, and no narcotics consignment should be allowed to enter or transit through Indian territory.”