Understanding Police Challenges in Drug Law Enforcement: A Documentary Analysis from Punjab, India

Abstract

Punjab occupies a strategically sensitive position on India’s north-western frontier and has experienced sustained exposure to illicit drug trafficking, domestic drug markets and cross-border supply networks. The effectiveness of drug law enforcement therefore depends not only on the severity of the legal framework but also on investigative capacity, evidentiary reliability, inter-agency coordination, technological adaptation and institutional legitimacy. This article undertakes a documentary analysis of the challenges confronting drug law enforcement in Punjab. It draws on statutory materials, government and law enforcement publications, audit findings, official crime data, judicial decisions and selected academic and policy literature. The analysis identifies six interrelated domains: procedural and evidentiary demands under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, cross-border and technology-enabled trafficking; forensic and prosecutorial capacity; institutional integrity and accountability, organizational and technological capacity; and the relationship between enforcement, public health and community cooperation. According to this article, the degree of enforcement intensity as determined by arrests and seizures is insufficient to forecast effectiveness. Prosecution-ready investigations, quick forensic procedures, financial investigations into trafficking networks, intelligence-led policing, enhanced interagency cooperation, and reliable accountability systems are all necessary for sustainable law enforcement.