Chandigarh, Oct. 2 -- Punjab has topped in registering maximum cases against drug traffickers in the country in 2023, revealed the NCRB data released on Tuesday. Out of the total 11,589 FIRs registered under various sections of the NDPS Act in 2023, the state registered 7,785 cases for possession of drugs for trafficking with a ratio of nearly 67%. As Kerala (30,697) and Maharashtra (15,610) registered more cases under the NDPS Act as compared to Punjab, maximum of them were against the users. Both states registered 2,682 and 2,535 cases against traffickers, respectively, with a ratio of 8% and 16%. Overall 39,112 FIRs of drug trafficking were registered in the country out of which 7,785, nearly 19%, were registered in Punjab only. According to a senior police official of the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF), the highest cases against traffickers reflect that the Punjab Police hit hard on those supplying drugs. "We have tried to break the drug supply by registering cases against smugglers. Many big fish of the trade have been nabbed in this tenure," said a senior ANTF official. UP is second followed by Rajasthan. Even as the number of deaths due to drug overdose have decreased in Punjab in 2023 as compared to 2022, the NCRB data reveals that the state registered 89 fatalities, highest in the country for the second consecutive year. In 2022, Punjab registered 144 deaths due to drug overdose. A total of 654 drug overdose deaths were registered in India in 2023. The state registered 141 suicides by farmers of which 133 used to cultivate their own land whereas 8 had leased the land....