Punjab Police have arrested 153 major drug traffickers this year, each linked to heroin seizures exceeding 2 kg, and confiscated assets valued at Rs 208 crore, according to a senior police official. “Punjab Police has stepped up its anti-drug efforts with a two-pronged approach of targeting top-level traffickers and a widespread crackdown at sale points. In 2024 alone, 153 traffickers associated with large seizures of over 2 kg heroin each have been apprehended, alongside property seizures worth Rs 208 crore,” DGP Punjab Police shared on X.
At the grassroots level, police are intensifying operations against drug dealers in both rural and urban areas, leading to 7,686 NDPS-related FIRs and 10,524 arrests this year, added the DGP.
In 2024, total drug seizures in the state included 790 kg of heroin, 860 kg of opium, and 36,711 kg of poppy husk. Punjab Police are also scrutinizing supply chains connected to pharmaceutical drug abuse, particularly those linked to states like Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Gujarat, in an effort to dismantle broader networks fueling the trade within Punjab.
On October 25, a joint operation by the Punjab Police Anti-Narcotics Task Force and Gurdaspur Police led to the preventive detention of Avtar Singh alias Tari, a notorious smuggler from Punjab’s border district of Gurdaspur, under the PITS-NDPS Act. Tari, now detained for two years in Central Jail Bathinda, marks Punjab’s first use of the PITS-NDPS Act’s stringent preventive detention provisions in narcotics cases.
“A significant milestone has been reached by the Anti-Narcotics Task Force and Gurdaspur Police with the preventive detention under the PITS-NDPS Act of top smuggler Avtar Singh alias Tari from Gurdaspur,” posted the DGP Punjab Police on X. “This marks Punjab’s first successful use of the PITS-NDPS Act’s strict measures, enabling preventive detention in narcotics-related cases. Tari’s detention and transfer to Central Jail Bathinda showcase a strong step forward in Punjab’s sustained efforts to combat drug smuggling and achieve a drug-free state.”