Amritsar/Chandigarh, March 18— Punjab Police dismantled a cross-border drug cartel with the arrest of one individual and the seizure of 8.08 kg heroin and a .30 bore pistol with five cartridges, Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said on Tuesday.
The accused, identified as Dharminder Singh alias Sonu, a resident of Harsha Chhena village in Amritsar, was caught near Mental Hospital in Amritsar while waiting to deliver a drug consignment. Police also impounded his Hyundai Creta, which was being used for the deliveries.
DGP Yadav said Sonu was in contact with Pakistan-based smugglers who used drones to drop consignments in the Ajnala sector.
“Further investigations are underway to trace backward and forward linkages,” he added.
Amritsar Commissioner of Police (CP) Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said a police team, acting on a tip-off, arrested Sonu during an operation led by Inspector Ranjit Singh Dhaliwal, under the supervision of DCP Investigation Ravinder Pal Singh Sandhu, ADCP Investigation Navjot Singh, and ACP North Kamaljit Singh.
The police have identified another accomplice involved in the smuggling network and launched a manhunt to arrest him.
Efforts are also underway to trace the intended recipient of the consignment and expose the entire network of suppliers, dealers, and buyers, CP Bhullar said.
A case has been registered under FIR no. 20 dated March 17, 2025, at Police Station Majitha Road in Amritsar under sections 21(c) and 29 of the NDPS Act and sections 25 and 27 of the Arms Act.
