Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 · Chapter IV: Offences and Penalties
Section 24: Punishment for external dealings in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances in contravention of section 12
Whoever engages in or controls any trade whereby a narcotic drug or a psychotropic substance is obtained outside India and supplied to any person outside India without the previous authorisation of the Central Government or otherwise than in accordance with the condition (if any) of such authorisation granted under section 12, shall be punishable with rigorous imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than ten years but which may extend to twenty years and shall also be liable to fine which shall not be less than one lakh rupees but may extend to two lakh rupees:
Provided that the court may, for reasons to be recorded in the judgment, impose a fine exceeding two lakh rupees.
Source: India Code (indiacode.gov.in), the consolidated text published by the Legislative Department, Government of India. Text as updated on India Code on 14 October 2026. Words in square brackets [ ] were inserted or substituted by later amending Acts, and *** marks words omitted by an amendment. The amendment footnotes are not reproduced here. Official text on India Code.
Supreme Court judgments citing the section 24
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Directorate of Revenue Intelligence v. Raj Kumar Arora & Ors.
Issue arose whether an offence u/s.8(c) of the NDPS Act could be said to have been made out when an accused “deals with” psychotropic substances mentioned in the Schedule to the NDPS Act but not figuring in Schedule I…
- Taha Taufiq v. Narcotics Control Bureau New Delhi
- Sarvothaman Guhan @Sarvo v. Narcotics Control Bureau
- Bharat Chaudhary v. Union of India
- Krishna Prasad Verma (D) Thr. Lrs. v. State of Bihar & Ors.
- Nikesh Tarachand Shah v. Union of India & Anr.
- Sanjay Kumar Kedia @ Sanjay Kedia v. Intelligence Officer, Narcotic Control Bureau and Anr.