Pak smuggler under ‘Shah’ pseudonym key link in drug racket

A day after the Lopoke police arrested two alleged drug suppliers with 4 kg of heroin, the initial investigation has pointed towards a Pakistan-based smuggler operating under the pseudonym “Shah” as a key link in the supply network.

Preliminary investigation revealed that the accused — Sandeep Singh and Saurf Singh — were allegedly in contact with the Pakistani smuggler and had earlier supplied at least three consignments of heroin

in Punjab.

The duo was produced in a local court on Thursday, which remanded them in a five-day police custody. They are being interrogated to identify their associates and trace the recipients of the previous consignments.

The arrests were made by the Lopoke police following a tip-off that the two accused were allegedly procuring heroin smuggled from Pakistan and subsequently supplying it to different districts of Punjab, especially in Tarn Taran. Acting on the information, a police team intercepted the duo at Vanike village and recovered 4 kg of heroin from their possession.

The recovery has provided investigators with a possible lead into a wider cross-border drug distribution network operating through the border belt. The police are now trying to establish how the consignments were received, as to who facilitated their movement from the border and where the previously supplied heroin was distributed.

Investigators are also examining the financial transactions and communication records of the accused to establish their backward and forward linkages. The probe will focus on identifying the other members of the network, and the channels used for transporting and distributing the contraband in Punjab.

Saurf Singh has a criminal case registered against him, the police said. His previous record is also being examined as part of the investigation into the latest seizure.

With the recovery of 4 kg of heroin and the emergence of “Shah” as a suspected Pakistan-based contact, investigators are now attempting to connect the dots between local suppliers, previous consignments and the larger cross-border network.