Centre Extends NCB Chief Anurag Garg’s Tenure Till July 2027

New Delhi, May 22: The Centre has extended the tenure of Anurag Garg as Director General of the Narcotics Control Bureau till July 31, 2027, according to an order issued by the Personnel Ministry.

Garg, a 1993-batch Indian Police Service officer of the Himachal Pradesh cadre, was appointed NCB chief in September 2024. His tenure was originally scheduled to end on May 23 this year.

The order dated May 21 stated that the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved the extension of his deputation tenure beyond May 23, 2026, till the date of his superannuation in July next year.

The extension comes amid several major anti-drug operations carried out by the NCB in recent months.

Earlier this month, Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced the busting of an international drug trafficking syndicate involved in smuggling Captagon, commonly referred to as the “jihadi drug”.

The agency seized 227 kg of Captagon valued at around Rs 182 crore, marking the country’s first-ever seizure of the synthetic stimulant.

Captagon is historically associated with fenethylline, a synthetic drug developed in the 1960s, and has often been linked by intelligence agencies to extremist and conflict-zone networks in parts of West Asia.

Last month, the NCB also secured the return of alleged international drug trafficker Mohammad Salim Dola from Turkiye. (Agencies)