Chandigarh: Since the launch of the Anti-Drug Task Force (ADTF) on August 29, the Punjab Police have seized nearly 85 kg of heroin in September, marking the second-highest monthly recovery of the narcotic this year.
According to police reports, 908 suspects were arrested, and 661 FIRs were lodged in the same period, averaging nearly 30 drug smugglers apprehended and 22 FIRs filed daily. The highest heroin seizure of the year occurred in April, when 119 kg was recovered.
Drug smuggling has been a tenacious issue in Punjab for over a decade with 14 youths allegedly died from drug overdoses in June, putting the AAP government under pressure to curb the menace.
In addition to dismantling several drug gangs, the police have booked a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 45 lakh to release suspects in a narcotics case.
Special DGP and head of the ADTF, Kuldip Singh, said. “We have significantly disrupted supply lines, especially after the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan, and intensified our crackdown on smuggling networks. Just last month, we attached assets worth Rs 49 crore belonging to drug smugglers,” Singh said.
The ADTF’s operations have provided a much-needed push to the state’s anti-drug efforts, which have been under intense scrutiny amid rising concerns over drug addiction and trafficking in Punjab.
