The amount of narcotic drugs seized by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and other agencies in 2017 was significantly higher compared with the previous year, as were the number of cases, according to the latest data released by the NCB.

In its annual report for 2017, the bureau said that cannabis, also known as ganja and weed, accounted for the biggest seizure in terms of the amount and the number of cases. A record 21,432 cases involving the seizure of 3,52,379 kilograms were reported in 2017, compared with 14,401 cases and 2,94,347 kg in 2016. This was a huge leap from just a few years ago; in 2013, there were 4,592 cases in which 91,792 kg were seized.

The year also saw the largest ever seizure of heroin/morphine, when 1,445 kg were seized from a ship in Porbandar in Gujarat.

South-West Asian heroin accounted for around 48 per cent of the total heroin seized in India in 2017, the report said. During the year, there were 7,069 cases involving 2,146 kg of the drug, compared with 4,565 cases and 1,675 kg in 2016.

State-wise seizure records showed that Gujarat topped the list with 1,017.23 kg, followed by Punjab (406.03 kg), Jammu and Kashmir (207.46 kg), Uttar Pradesh (118.45 kg) and Himachal Pradesh (71.75 kg).

According to the bureau, there were 1,408 cases involving opium that led to the seizure of 2,551 kg of the drug in 2017, compared with 933 cases and 2,251 kg in 2016.

Among the States, Punjab accounted for the highest amount of 505.86 kg, followed by Rajasthan (426.95 kg), Madhya Pradesh (331.67 kg), Bihar (328.85 kg) and Jharkhand (242.07 kg).