Wave of drug-carrying drones flying into India from Pakistan, officials say

Indian border security has said they are battling an unprecedented “drone menace” infiltrating the border with Pakistan, fuelling the drugs crisis in the state of Punjab and raising serious security issues.

Officials from India’s border security force (BSF) in the border state of Punjab told the Guardian they had intercepted 90 drones from Pakistan so far in 2023, the highest on record. They said the number was “increasing every month”.

Most carried consignments of opium and heroin, likely to have come from Afghanistan, but some have dropped weapons, including pistols and Chinese-made assault rifles.

The drones, some known as hexacopters, which are up to 8ft wide and have high-resolution cameras attached, have been detected as far as 12km inside India’s border. The drugs are often carried in small sacks or Coca-Cola bottles.

BSF said drones were responsible for about 60% of the drug smuggling in the state in 2023, driving up trade significantly, as well as adding a “new dimension” to protecting the security of India’s border.

“We used just to be focused on land, but this aerial domination is a new domain for us and it is indeed a challenge,” said Fulzele. “But I believe we will be able to contain this drone menace by next year.”

In another area, backing directly onto the India-Pakistan border fence, an expanse of wheat fields was described by the BSF as a “regular dropping zone”.

“It’s happening in every village area along the border in Punjab, and also in Rajasthan,” said the BSF officer. “We have various methods to keep a check on it. Sometimes we shoot them down, sometimes we use anti-drone technology and we also have sources who give us tip-offs and have helped us identify the main dropping zones.”