PATNA, Sept. 24 -- Apart from narcotics such as ganja, charas, opium and heroin, chemical drugs used to treat cancer and depression are also increasingly being misused for intoxication by drug addicts in the dry state. In the last 18 months, the seizure of chemical drugs has increased more than tenfold and the seizure of injections (needles) by six times, said a senior Narcotics Control Board (NCB) official. Large shipments of chemical drugs such as Alprazolam, especially those given in depression, and Analgesic capsules (Opioids) and Tramadol given to cancer patients, are being seized. Besides, the seizure of Codeine syrup used for coughing has also tripled in 18 months. Under the guidance of the police headquarters, a special operation against chemical drugs is currently underway in Bihar. In such a situation, a record recovery is expected this year. In 2025, as per the statistics of police headquarters, around 3,562 narcotics and drug smugglers were arrested in 2,583 cases registered against 4,146 persons. Till July this year, 3,762 accused have been arrested after registering 2,677 cases against 4,355 accused. According to the report of the Prohibition and State Narcotics Control Bureau (PSNCB) 90,150 Tablets used for intoxication were seized in the state in 2024, while 10. 71 Lakh Tablets have been seized by the PSNCB till July this year alone. Similarly, 63,208 pieces of injections were recovered in 2024, while about 3.99 lakh injections have been seized till July this year. The PSNCB told HT that the police seized 389,000 lakh bottles of prescribed syrup have been seized till July instead of 117,000 bottles (100 ml) of cough codeine syrup in 2024. Apart from this, the seizure of drugs such as ganja-charas has also increased by three times. In 2023, 9,755 kg of cannabis, 109 kg of charas and 24.6 kg of heroin were seized. In 2025, the seizure of ganja increased to 31.915 kg, 378 kg of charas and the seizure of heroin increased to 65 kg. Until July this year, 30. 234 kg of ganja, 67.52 kg of charas and 101 kg of heroin have been seized. Additional director general of PSNCB Nirmal Kumar Azad said apart from the bordering districts of Nepal, these also include districts like Patna, Gaya, Vaishali are identified as hotspots. Data collection is also being done on the basis of which drugs are consumed more in which district. According to the trend so far, heroin seizures have increased in Vaishali and cannabis in Gaya. Similarly, the consumption of codeine syrup is high in the areas of Seemanchal. "The root of drugs is also being hit. Drugs mainly come in Bihar from Nepal, Myanmar and Northeastern states," he said. In view of the increasing illegal business of drugs, the police headquarters has assigned the task of arresting old smugglers and sending them to jail and identifying drug traffickers and peddlers with the task of action. At the state level, five dozen drug smugglers have been identified who are set to be sent to jail for another year. Additional director at Mahavir Arogya Sansthan and forensic psychiatrist Dr Nikhil Goyal said that before prohibition, codine based cough syrups were mainly used by middle-aged persons of 25-45 years, but now the age-group has shifted to 15-25 and leads to addiction at a young age and contributes to reduced productivity, unemployment and poverty and pushing them to anti-social activities like narcotics trade and crime. "Prolonged use of opioids are potential trigger factor for mental illness in individuals because severe illness like schizophrenia, bipolar illness, depression, suicidal tendency in prolonged users. Other common methods of addiction in youths in Bihar are injection, consumption of whiteners, Opioid-based injections. The incidence of flash blood and blood doping are also rising in Bihar. Flash blood is highly dangerous as it takes out blood and injects it to someone else," he added. IGIMS director Binde Kumar said that injectable drugs were very dangerous as they could cause infection of HIV due to needle sharing apart from other fatal health consequences....