India makes first-ever Captagon seizure worth ₹182 crore under Operation Ragepill

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday announced India’s first-ever seizure of Captagon, a banned synthetic stimulant often referred to internationally as the “Jihadi Drug”, in an operation valued at ₹182 crore.

In a post on X, Shah said the seizure was made under “Operation Ragepill” and described it as a major achievement in the Centre’s anti-narcotics campaign.

“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 ₹182 crore,” he said.

The Home Minister said the consignment was meant for the Middle East and confirmed that a foreign national had been arrested in connection with the case.

Reiterating the government’s “zero tolerance against drugs” policy, Shah said authorities would continue to act firmly 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,” he said while congratulating officers of the Narcotics Control Bureau.

Captagon is a banned synthetic stimulant that has been linked internationally to organised crime networks and conflict zones in parts of West Asia.

Indian enforcement agencies have in recent years stepped up surveillance against synthetic drugs and transnational narcotics syndicates operating through maritime and air cargo routes.

The latest operation comes amid a series of major anti-drug crackdowns conducted by the NCB over the past year.

Earlier this month, the agency seized 349 kg of high-grade cocaine worth ₹1,745 crore in Mumbai after tracing what officials described as a large international narcotics network.

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

According to official figures cited by the government, the NCB seized more than 1.33 lakh kg of narcotic substances worth nearly ₹1,980 crore in 2025 and arrested 994 traffickers, including 25 foreign nationals, across 447 cases nationwide.

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