Ahmedabad, April 23 (IANS) Inter-agency coordination through real-time intelligence sharing and regular data exchange was in focus as NCB Deputy Director General (Western Region) Maneesh Kumar chaired a meeting of the Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) for Gujarat with officials of other drug law enforcement agencies, an official said on Thursday.

During the meeting, focus was placed on comprehensive investigations in drug cases, including financial probes and terror linkages, along with the identification and dismantling of major trafficking networks, as well as the identification of 50 priority cases by the Gujarat Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) for focused monitoring, said the official in a statement.

The meeting, chaired by Deputy Director General (DDG) for the Western Region of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), saw the participation from BSF, Customs, DRI, Income Tax, Indian Coast Guard, NIA, IB, RPF, Gujarat ANTF and the Food and Drugs Control Administration (FDCA).

“The meeting also stressed robust inter-agency coordination through real-time intelligence sharing, regular data exchange and joint interrogation in inter-state cases, along with effective use of tools such as FIU and NATGRID to track syndicates, key accused and repeat offenders,” said the statement.

In a post on X, the NCB said, “Quarterly State-Level JCC meeting for Gujarat was convened by NCB in Ahmedabad to further strengthen coordination among Drug Law Enforcement Agencies to effectively tackle emerging narcotics challenges.”

The meeting came close to Union Home Minister Amit Shah congratulating the NCB for getting 73 drug offenders convicted in the first three months of 2026 with the harshest punishments.

In a post on X on Monday, HM Amit Shah said, “To protect our youth from the scourge of drugs, the Modi govt is ruthlessly demolishing drug cartels and is also ensuring their conviction. Under this mission, the NCB has made a breakthrough in getting 73 drug offenders convicted in the first three months of 2026, with the harshest punishments.”

In the first quarter of 2026, from January to March, the NCB secured convictions of 73 drug offenders in 35 cases. Out of these, four were awarded the maximum sentence of 20 years, while 54 others were awarded sentences of 10 years or more. A total fine of Rs 1.22 crore was also imposed on the convicts.

The NCB’s focused approach to trial monitoring has led to a steady increase in the conviction rate from 60.5 per cent in 2024 to 65.5 per cent in 2025 and now to 68.6 per cent in the first quarter of 2026, said a statement.

–IANS

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