Tamil Nadu Sets Up Anti Narcotics Task Force With 65 Dedicated Stations

The Tamil Nadu government has sanctioned the creation of a specialised Anti Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) to overhaul the State’s enforcement framework and combat substance abuse. The new architecture, approved through a Government Order on August 8, establishes 65 dedicated police stations across 37 police districts and eight city commissionerates.

Each of the 65 ANTF police stations will be staffed by one Inspector of Police, four Sub-Inspectors, and 20 personnel, creating a field-level force of 1,625 dedicated officers. Under the new arrangement, ANTF personnel will not be assigned to routine policing or law-and-order duties, ensuring exclusive focus on intelligence gathering, sustained surveillance, and investigating organised drug distribution networks.

The dedicated force replaces the earlier enforcement structure handled by 15 Narcotics Intelligence Bureau-Criminal Investigation Department (NIB-CID) units under the Enforcement Bureau-CID. The previous setup faced constraints in maintaining continuous State-wide surveillance and tackling sophisticated trafficking networks due to limited manpower and reliance on local police.

The ANTF headquarters will be led by an Additional Director-General of Police and an Inspector-General of Police, supported by two Superintendents of Police managing operations, intelligence, and administration. The command structure will operate 10 specialised wings, including a cyber lab equipped for darknet monitoring, digital forensics, open-source intelligence, and cryptocurrency analysis, alongside a centralised crime records bureau to track offenders and map trafficking routes.

The launch follows widespread enforcement operations across Tamil Nadu. Since May 10, police have registered 5,082 drug-related cases and arrested 7,214 suspects for trafficking, possession, and distribution. Authorities have seized more than 7,000 kg of ganja, 112 kg of other synthetic drugs, and 3.4 lakh unauthorised prescription tablets.