The focus on the narcotics trade follows a string of major seizures of contraband drugs over the last few years, including the huge offshore haul of more than 3,000 kg of hashish, meth and morphine in February 2024.Gujarat Police will set up 41 new “Anti-Narcotics Wings (ANWs)” of the force, including at least one in each of the state’s 34 districts.These ANWs will act as a force multiplier for the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) that was announced in August 2025. The Narcotics Cell of the CID Crime was upgraded to the ANTF last year to “control the sale, trafficking and production of banned drugs”.The strength of the unit was increased from 34 to 211, and six specialised police stations were proposed to be set up across the state.Also Read | Codeine crackdown: Rs 83 lakh cough syrup prohibited from sale in GujaratWhy the increased focus on the narcotics trade?The focus on the narcotics trade follows a string of major seizures of contraband drugs over the last few years, including the huge offshore haul of more than 3,000 kg of hashish, meth and morphine in February 2024.This May, the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad and Coast Guard recovered 118 kg of cocaine valued at almost Rs 1,200 crore from five bags thrown into the sea off Mundra, the largest commercial private port in the country.Over the past five years, the Gujarat Police has registered more than 3,700 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 (NDPS Act), and arrested 5,346 accused.During this period, more than 1.36 lakh kilograms of drugs worth about Rs 13,600 crore have been seized.Story continues below this adThese seizures suggest that Gujarat acts as both a landing point for international maritime consignments of narcotics, as well as a local base for the production of synthetic or psychotropic drugs. In 2021, the government launched a “Narco Reward Policy” to combat the menace. In February 2026, Ahmedabad Crime Branch seized 400 kg of ganja worth Rs 2 crore allegedly hidden in sacks of onions. ArchiveSo how will the new ANW units of the Gujarat Police work?41 UNITS ACROSS THE STATE: An ANW each is planned in 33 of the state’s 34 districts, and two in the coastal district of Kutch – East and West. Kutch is the largest district by area in the country, sprawling over an area bigger than that of the states of Haryana and Keralam.Two ANWs each are planned in the Ahmedabad and Surat police commissionerates, and one each in the Rajkot and Vadodara commissionerates.COORDINATION: According to the order issued by Gujarat Director General of Police G S Malik on September 5, the ANWs will operate under the district/ city police who already have Special Operations Groups (SOG) to conduct anti-drug investigations.Story continues below this adOther units of the police such as the Local Crime Branch, the Prevention of Crime Branch, as well as local police stations where cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act are filed, are also part of the anti-narcotics effort.SUPERVISION, STAFFING: Each ANW will be supervised by a joint / additional commissioner of police in the commissionerates, and the superintendent of police in the districts. They will be staffed by eight officers, including an Inspector and a Sub-inspector. However, no additional hirings will be made in order to staff the ANWs.EXCLUSIVE FOCUS: The police chief’s order said that unlike other units of the force, the ANWs would focus solely on drugs. Cases will be registered in the police station in whose jurisdiction raids are conducted. The order warned of action against local police officers if the ANW reported any negligence on their part during the investigation.How will the ANWs coordinate with the Anti-Narcotics Task Force?The September 5 order asked all Commissioners and SPs to set up the ANWs within a week. The plan is to coordinate this with the setting up of the six zonal police stations dedicated to the Anti-Narcotics Task Force – in Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, Kutch (Border Range) and Gandhinagar.Story continues below this adThe order creating the ANWs stated that while they would function under the local police jurisdictions, they would send regular reports on their work to the task force in the same way that cybercrime units report their work to the state Cybercrime Cell.A senior officer said that the task force would work with the ANWs, guide them, and work in an interoperable manner to crack down on narcotics, their supply lines and syndicates.Besides the creation of these new units, are any operational upgrades in their functioning expected as well?Along with the formation of ANWs in each police jurisdiction and the setting up of six police stations of the Anti-Narcotics Task Force, it is expected that gaps in the process of investigation of NDPS cases will also be addressed, officers said.Story continues below this adThis includes the gap at the officer level where issues such as proof of chain of custody and possession with intent to distribute, as well as evidence of storage, persist. There is also a lack of expertise among personnel.The state police are expected to deploy the Narcotics Analysis & RAG-based Investigation Tool (NARIT-AI) designed to assist in handling complex narcotics cases under the NDPS legal framework.The system, developed by IPS officer Abhay Soni, integrates legal provisions, case law, and investigative procedures to provide real-time analytical support to investigating officers. NARIT-AI is currently in field trials and has provided inputs in more than 60 cases under investigation in Gujarat.Brendan Dabhi works with The Indian Express, focusing his comprehensive reporting primarily on Gujarat. He covers the region's most critical social, legal, and administrative sectors, notably specializing at the intersection of health, social justice, and disasters. Expertise Health and Public Policy: He has deep expertise in healthcare issues, including rare diseases, Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), the complex logistics of organ transplants, and public health challenges like drug-resistant TB and heat health surveillance. His on-ground reporting during the COVID-19 pandemic and Mucormycosis was critical in exposing healthcare challenges faced by marginalized communities in Gujarat. Social Justice and Legal Administration: He reports on the functioning of the legal and police system, including the impact of judicial philosophy, forensics and crucial administrative reforms (. He covers major surveillance and crackdown exercises by the Gujarat police and security on the international border. Disaster and Crisis Management: His work closely tracks how government and civic bodies respond to large-scale crises, providing essential coverage on the human and administrative fallout of disasters including cyclones, floods, conflict, major fires and reported extensively on the AI 171 crash in Ahmedabad. Civic Infrastructure and Governance: Provides timely reports on critical civic failures, including large scale infrastructure projects by the railways and civic bodies, as well as the enforcement of municipal regulations and their impact on residents and heritage. ... Read MoreStay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram