Bihar’s heroin menace: Rs 69 lakh seizure exposes interstate networkFive arrested in Darbhanga-Patna operation as official figures show heroin seizures nearly tripling in three years.

Heroin worth Rs 69 lakh was seized with the arrest of five alleged drug traffickers in two linked operations carried out in Darbhanga and Patna on Monday, police said. Bihar, a prohibition state since 2016, is increasingly witnessing the spread of harder narcotics, particularly heroin (brown sugar or smack). Official figures show seizures have nearly tripled over the past three years, from 23.6 kg in 2023 to 41.9 kg in 2024, before jumping to 65 kg in 2025. The trend is mirrored in other opioid-based substances. Opium seizures, for instance, spiked sharply in 2025, rising more than sixfold from 10.7 kg in 2024 to over 77 kg. The latest Rs 69 lakh heroin haul fits into this pattern, pointing to an expanding drug network operating within and through Bihar.