‘Jihadi drug’ Captagon seized for first time in India under Operation Ragepill

India’s anti-narcotics agencies have made the country’s first-ever seizure of Captagon tablets, a synthetic stimulant often linked to extremist groups and illegal transnational drug networks. The operation, carried out under “Operation Ragepill,” led to the recovery of drugs worth ₹182 crore from Gujarat’s Mundra Port and Delhi.

Union home minister Amit Shah announced the breakthrough on X, describing the seizure as a major step in the government’s campaign against narcotics trafficking. “Modi govt is resolved for a ‘Drug-Free India’,” Shah wrote, adding that the operation demonstrated the government’s “zero tolerance against drugs.”

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Authorities said a foreign national, reportedly of Syrian origin, was arrested during the operation. Investigators believe the consignment was intended for West Asia and may have links to larger international trafficking networks.

Hidden in tea boxes, routed through cargo shipment

Officials familiar with the investigation said the Captagon tablets were concealed inside tea leaf boxes, while the cargo arriving at Mundra Port had been declared as a wool consignment. Around 200 kilograms of the drug reportedly entered India from Syria before being routed towards Saudi Arabia.

Agencies are now probing possible terror-financing and narco-terror links connected to the accused and the wider supply chain.

Captagon is a highly addictive amphetamine-type stimulant that gained notoriety after reports of its misuse by extremist organisations, including ISIS, to boost stamina and suppress fear among fighters. Because of these associations, it is often referred to as the “Jihadi drug.”

India tightening port security amid rising smuggling concerns

This seizure follows a growing trend by Indian authorities to increase their surveillance efforts on cargo routes and sea security due to increasing narcotics smuggling through seaports.

According to government figures tabled in Parliament earlier, the seizure of narcotics valued at ₹11,311 crore was reported in 19 operations undertaken at Indian seaports in the period of 2020 to 2024.

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In addition, sources say that the government is planning to set up a new Bureau of Port Security similar to the aviation security system to enhance cargo screening and monitoring operations at ports.

This follows a recent successful operation by the Narcotics Control Bureau to repatriate suspected international narcotics smuggler Mohammed Salim Dola from Türkiye under "Operation Global-Hunt."

Law enforcers see the recent Captagon seizure as an indication that India has become a hub for both transit and interception of international narcotics trafficking networks from West Asia, Africa, and Europe.