The seizure of 96 kg of heroin in two days in Punjab has once again exposed the alarming ease with which narcotics are crossing the India–Pakistan international border, raising questions about the anti-drone systems installed along the frontier.Despite huge amounts spent on advanced surveillance and counter-drone technology, Pakistani drug syndicates continue to exploit porous Punjab’s border belt with impunity.The sheer volume of the seizures—made in separate operations points to a well-oiled, cross-border narco network operating along the international border right under the nose of intelligence and security agencies.Senior officials from Punjab police and security agencies acknowledge that drones have emerged as the preferred delivery mechanism for heroin consignments, allowing smugglers to bypass fencing, patrols and human intelligence networks.Low-flying drones, often launched from Pakistan late at night, drop payloads weighing up to several kilograms in Indian territory before vanishing within minutes—frequently without being intercepted.It is widely believed that the majority of drug consignments smuggled via drones evade interception and slip through undetected. “It has been a challenge and there is no denial about it,” said DIG Border Range Sandeep Goel while talking to The Tribune.While authorities claim that several drones have been detected and neutralised in recent months, the uninterrupted flow of heroin suggests glaring gaps in coverage, coordination and response time.The recent recoveries have revived criticism that anti-drone systems deployed along the border remain reactive rather than preventive.“Pakistan-based handlers are constantly upgrading their technology—using pre-programmed GPS routes, low-noise rotors and short-range sorties that reduce detection windows,” an official privy to the investigations into recent drug hauls seizures.Goel pointed out that there are multiple factors involved in such large-scale smuggling including socio-economic conditions of the people living along the border belt. He added that apart from drones, the narcotics were also being trafficked through porous riverine routes at regular intervals.Intelligence agencies have repeatedly flagged that narco-smuggling from Pakistan is not merely a criminal enterprise but a form of proxy warfare, aimed at destabilising Punjab’s youth, funding organised crime and sustaining terror infrastructure, said a retired BSF official.Punjab Police Director General Gaurav Yadav also reportedly pointed out that Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), with the backing of the Pakistan government, believes in bleeding India through a strategy of “a thousand cuts.”During its anti-drug campaign “Yudh Nashian Virudh” last year the Punjab police confiscated a record 2,021 kg of heroin, which was the highest ever in a year.