Bikaner, April 8 -- Security forces in the border district of Sri Ganganagar recently seized 13.5kg of heroin worth Rs.67 crore, dropped from across the border using a drone, and arrested four Punjab-based operatives, officers said, highlighting a sharp rise in drone-assisted heroin trafficking across the India-Pakistan border. In a joint operation carried out on Sunday by the CID, district police and the Border Security Force, authorities intercepted around 12 kg of heroin that had been dropped by a drone from across the border. Acting on specific intelligence inputs, teams laid a blockade at a pre-identified location and apprehended four Punjab-based operatives who had arrived to collect the consignment. Inspector general of police (IGP) Om Prakash said the accused are currently being interrogated to unravel the larger cross-border network behind the operation. The crackdown continued into Monday, when security personnel recovered three additional packets of heroin weighing about 1.5 kg from a farm near the international border-marking the second recovery in two days. The total value of the seized contraband is estimated at Rs.67 crore in the international market, officers said. Data from the Bikaner police range revealed Sri Ganganagar as the hardest-hit district; heroin seizures there have followed a worrying trajectory over five years. From 18.17 kg in 2022, seizures more than doubled to 41.13 kg in 2023, peaking at 56.35 kg in 2024-the highest on record. Seizures dipped to 12.59 kg in 2025 but rebounded sharply in 2026, with 47.82 kg already recovered in the first few months. Between 2022 and 2025, authorities seized 15 drones in Sri Ganganagar, highlighting smugglers' reliance on drones equipped with GPS and payload-dropping mechanisms that cross the border undetected, delivering narcotics with precision. Across the Bikaner range, 68 drone-related cases were registered between 2022 and April 2026, yielding over 174.27 kg of heroin. Sri Ganganagar accounts for most cases, while Bikaner reports fewer incidents. Hanumangarh and Churu have seen negligible drone-linked cases. Across the Bikaner range, 177 accused have been apprehended, while 25 remain absconding in drone-assisted drug smuggling cases since 2022, officers said. Law enforcement agencies have also recovered firearms, hundreds of live cartridges, vehicles, mobile phones and cash, as officers point to a well-financed and structured syndicate. Drone operations follow seasonal patterns, officers said. From April to August, the drops peak between noon and 3 pm, aided by thermal stability and visibility. From November to February, they shift to 1 am-4 am, exploiting darkness and low activity. IGP Prakash said, "Police have mapped multiple hotspot locations across different police station areas in Sri Ganganagar where repeated drone drops have been recorded. Surveillance, both human and technical, has intensified in these zones, including anti-drone systems and increased border patrolling." Drones have also carried weapons on at least two occasions, with pistols and ammunition recovered in related cases, hinting at an overlap between narcotics and arms smuggling, officers said, warning this could escalate into a broader national security threat. An officer, requesting anonymity, said vulnerability varies by district. "In Bikaner and Sri Ganganagar border areas, agricultural land allotted to ex-servicemen offers natural surveillance. But Jaisalmer and Barmer feature vast abandoned stretches, ripe for undetected drops of arms or explosives without stronger measures," the officer said. Officers said agencies are adapting through coordinated efforts by border guards, Rajasthan Police and central intelligence. Advanced surveillance technologies, including radar-based detection and signal jamming systems, are being deployed to track and neutralise rogue drones. "The pattern clearly shows that traffickers are adapting faster than traditional enforcement methods. The use of drones has changed the dynamics of border security," a senior officer in the Bikaner range said....