WAR AGAINST DRUGS: PUNJAB POLICE ARRESTS 153 BIG FISH AMONG 10K DRUG SMUGGLERS IN 2024; 790KG HEROIN SEIZED, PROPERTY WORTH ₹208CR FORFEITED

Chandigarh: Amidst the ongoing intensified efforts to wipe out drugs from the state, Punjab Police has arrested 10524 drug smugglers including 153 big fish after registering 7686 first information reports (FIRs) in last 10 months, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav here on Wednesday.

Pertinently, Punjab Police has adopted a twin approach to tackle the drug menace, focusing on cracking down on big fish and targeting drug sellers at the point of sale including villages and mohallas.

DGP Gaurav Yadav, while divulging details on recovery of drugs in 2024, said that the Police teams have recovered 790-Kg Heroin from across the state after carrying out cordon and search operations in drug-affected areas besides laying nakas at vulnerable routes across the state.

Apart from seizing heroin, the Police teams have also recovered 860-Kg opium, 367 quintals of poppy husk, 93-Kg charas, 724-Kg ganja, 19-Kg ICE and 2.90 crore tablets/capsules/injections/vials of Pharma opioids from across the state, he said, while adding that the Police have also recovered Rs 13.62 crores of drug money from the possession of drug smugglers arrested this year.

The DGP said that Punjab Police have also forfeited properties of 362 big smugglers worth Rs 208 crores since January 1, 2024, while, as many as 470 cases to freeze properties worth 289 crores are pending with the competent authority for approval.

“Recently, Punjab Police has got a huge success in ongoing fight against drugs after successfully executing the orders of preventive detention of a top drug smuggler identified as Avtar Singh alias Tari of border village Shahur Kalan in Gurdaspur district,” he said.

Notably, accused Tari had been detained under Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotics Drugs Psychotropic Substances (PIT-NDPS) act for two years and sent to Central Jail Bathinda. This was the first case of preventive detention in which orders have been issued by the competent authority under section 3 (1) and section 10 of PIT-NDPS Act.

Meanwhile, as part of the ongoing special drive to arrest Proclaimed Offenders (POs)/Absconders in NDPS cases, Punjab Police has arrested 731 POs/Absconders this year.