<p class="bodytext">Is Karnataka quietly turning into a hub for synthetic drug manufacturing? That unsettling question arises from a string of major narcotics busts carried out not by local police, but by external agencies. It is also no coincidence that the state has recorded a sharp 63% rise in cases registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act – from roughly 4,000 cases in 2024 to nearly 7,000 in 2025. While senior police officers attribute this surge to increased vigilance and better detection, the numbers equally point to the easy availability of drugs. This indicates that organised networks are expanding their reach and targeting vulnerable segments, particularly the youth. This is especially alarming in a state that hosts a large student population drawn from across the country.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Cities like Mysuru and Bengaluru, long viewed as relatively calm and low-profile, now appear to be emerging as preferred locations for clandestine drug labs, precisely because they attract less scrutiny than traditional metropolitan crime centres. The fact that synthetic drugs such as Mephedrone and MDMA seized as far away as Gujarat and Maharashtra are being traced back to units in Karnataka suggests that the state is fast turning into a manufacturing hub. Three major raids by Mumbai Police and Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in quick succession have brought this risk into sharp focus. What is particularly embarrassing is that the local police either remained unaware of these units or chose to look the other way. Worse still, the raids were publicly downplayed, the valuation of seized drugs disputed, and the existence of functional labs denied, not just by police officers, but even by Home Minister G Parameshwara.</p>.Menstrual hygiene through a rights lens.<p class="bodytext">These raids establish that synthetic drugs are now being manufactured locally, not merely smuggled into the state. This demands a shift from episodic enforcement to sustained intelligence-led action. The Anti-Narcotics Task Force must work in close coordination with the NCB to track red-flag indicators in industrial clusters where illicit labs often operate under the cover of cleaning-chemical units. Intelligence capabilities must expand to include financial and digital trails, particularly the procurement of specialised equipment and chemicals through anonymous and cryptocurrency-based channels. The focus should move beyond seizures to dismantling the economic foundations of the trade by freezing and confiscating properties acquired through drug money under the NDPS Act, with strict adherence to due process to ensure stronger convictions. Above all, the state must identify and act against the black sheep within the police force who enable these networks. Without credible action, Karnataka risks becoming a nerve centre for organised narcotics syndicates.</p>
<p class="bodytext">Is Karnataka quietly turning into a hub for synthetic drug manufacturing? That unsettling question arises from a string of major narcotics busts carried out not by local police, but by external agencies. It is also no coincidence that the state has recorded a sharp 63% rise in cases registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act – from roughly 4,000 cases in 2024 to nearly 7,000 in 2025. While senior police officers attribute this surge to increased vigilance and better detection, the numbers equally point to the easy availability of drugs. This indicates that organised networks are expanding their reach and targeting vulnerable segments, particularly the youth. This is especially alarming in a state that hosts a large student population drawn from across the country.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Cities like Mysuru and Bengaluru, long viewed as relatively calm and low-profile, now appear to be emerging as preferred locations for clandestine drug labs, precisely because they attract less scrutiny than traditional metropolitan crime centres. The fact that synthetic drugs such as Mephedrone and MDMA seized as far away as Gujarat and Maharashtra are being traced back to units in Karnataka suggests that the state is fast turning into a manufacturing hub. Three major raids by Mumbai Police and Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in quick succession have brought this risk into sharp focus. What is particularly embarrassing is that the local police either remained unaware of these units or chose to look the other way. Worse still, the raids were publicly downplayed, the valuation of seized drugs disputed, and the existence of functional labs denied, not just by police officers, but even by Home Minister G Parameshwara.</p>.Menstrual hygiene through a rights lens.<p class="bodytext">These raids establish that synthetic drugs are now being manufactured locally, not merely smuggled into the state. This demands a shift from episodic enforcement to sustained intelligence-led action. The Anti-Narcotics Task Force must work in close coordination with the NCB to track red-flag indicators in industrial clusters where illicit labs often operate under the cover of cleaning-chemical units. Intelligence capabilities must expand to include financial and digital trails, particularly the procurement of specialised equipment and chemicals through anonymous and cryptocurrency-based channels. The focus should move beyond seizures to dismantling the economic foundations of the trade by freezing and confiscating properties acquired through drug money under the NDPS Act, with strict adherence to due process to ensure stronger convictions. Above all, the state must identify and act against the black sheep within the police force who enable these networks. Without credible action, Karnataka risks becoming a nerve centre for organised narcotics syndicates.</p>
