Chandigarh, Sept. 8 -- The narcotics trail leading into Chandigarh has undergone a dramatic shift in the past five years.

Till 2020, the city's drug supply was primarily routed through Delhi, sourced largely from Nigerian cartels, backed by cyber-criminal networks.

But post-2020 investigations reveal a new pattern: most of the consignments now enter through Punjab's border areas with Pakistan, aided by advanced drone technology and cross-border handlers.

Since 2023, Chandigarh Police have busted more than five major interstate and cross-border drug syndicates, each tracing back to Pakistan-based handlers. In these crackdowns, police uncovered how local peddlers in the tricity are just the last link in a chain stretching from Lahore and...