Pakistan sees rise in online sale of narcotics: Report

Islamabad, June 29 (IANS) Pakistan has been witnessing a rise in online sale of narcotics in recent years with the digital transactions making it easier to access drugs. Youngsters in Pakistan are not only consuming drugs but are also being manipulated into becoming drug couriers, a report has detailed.

Drugs traffickers are using technologies and global instability to introduce novel drugs and aggressively sell them in new markets, an editorial in leading Pakistani daily ‘The News International’ mentioned citing the World Drug Report 2026.

There has been a rise in new types of drugs in the market and some are reportedly more potent than before. Pakistan has also witnessed several cases of how drug networks are using these ways in recent years.

The most prominent case among them is of drug dealer Anmol alias Pinky who is alleged to have sold cocaine in colleges, universities, schools, gatherings and posh areas of Karachi. At the same time, the drugs are being sold online and the market appears to be young people.

“In recent years, several experts and officials have pointed to increasing drug use and availability among the country’s young people and educational institutions. Back in 2024, the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) reportedly uncovered 31 drug traffickers and seized 140 kilogrammes of narcotics from 235 universities. More recently, the senior Sindh minister said that the provincial government would conduct rapid, random drug testing in schools to tackle increasing narcotics use among children,” The News International stated.

“Is it a coincidence that the most online generation is experiencing rising drug abuse at a time when the drugs business is increasingly conducted online? That seems unlikely. And this is not just a Pakistan-specific trend. The online sale of narcotics has been a problem in the more advanced countries for over a decade now. It is possible that Pakistan is seeing a rise in this problem now, given how rapidly online access has expanded in recent years. But if ordering dangerous drugs becomes as easy as ordering takeout, the country is in serious trouble,” it added.

The danger is further increased due to the use of synthetic drugs which the ANF said are more potent and easier to hide. The digital transactions have made it easier to access drugs, as per the report. Young people are not only consuming drugs but are also being manipulated into becoming drug couriers with false promises being made of easy money and a glamorous lifestyle.

Local media reports in February had cited a 2025 systematic review of rehabilitation cases which claimed that Pakistan is grappling with a worsening crisis of youth drug abuse and rising suicide rates.

The study found that heroin accounts for 48 per cent of substance abuse cases among young users, while cannabis makes up 28 per cent, underscoring the alarming scale and severity of addiction among the country’s youth population.

According to the study, 35 per cent began using drugs in adolescence, and 46 per cent were diagnosed with comorbid depression.

According to a 2024 survey cited at Karachi University, 44 per cent of university and college students admitted to drug use, including 53 per cent of males and 31 per cent of females, with a growing trend of online procurement, another Pakistani daily ‘The Express Tribune’ reported.

Reports suggest that suicide has emerged as the fourth leading cause of death among Pakistanis under 30. Adolescents aged between 15 and 18 years appear especially vulnerable, with poisoning and hanging identified as the common methods. The reliable monthly official statistics remain unavailable, largely due to criminalisation and stigma surrounding suicide.

Pakistan’s Anti-Narcotics Force has warned that millions between the ages of 18 and 31 face potential risk, despite methodological gaps; the broader trend is evident, ‘The Express Tribune’ had reported.

A 2025 longitudinal clinical review covering 15 years documented rising drug positivity rates, with cannabis present in more than 20 to 30 per cent of tested samples, followed by opioids and benzodiazepines.

Over 70 per cent of identified addicts were above 35 years of age. Economic hardship, easy availability of Afghan-sourced cannabis and heroin, and untreated mental illness combine to fuel the crisis.

Citing the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, The Express Tribune reported that an estimated 6.7 and 7.6 million across Pakistan, roughly six per cent of the population, use drugs, with around four million requiring structured treatment.

–IANS

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