Trans-border drug cartel busted, two nabbed with 4-kg heroin

The city police have busted a trans-border drug trafficking module with the arrest of two drug peddlers and seizure of 4 kg of heroin, which was smuggled through Ferozepur border belt via a drone. The contraband was sent by Pakistan-based entities.

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The accused have been identified as Karanpal Singh (37) and Ranjit Singh (36), both hailing from border villages falling under the jurisdiction of Khemkaran in Tarn Taran, said Amritsar Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar.

The Police Commissioner said during the intelligence-based operation, teams of CIA Staff-I and CIA staff-2 under the supervision of Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Investigation) Navjot Singh arrested the duo from Jhabal road area. During search, the police confiscated the consignment of heroin from their possession.

As per a preliminary probe, both the accused recently took to the crime and had no previous criminal record. They were in direct contact with a Pakistan-based smuggler.

“The notorious Pakistan-based smuggler used the Ferozepur sector to transport the drug consignment using drones,” said Bhullar, adding that the drug consignment bore the stamps of Pakistan. The two persons after receiving consignments from across the border was further selling it to drug peddlers to supply narcotics across the state.

He said further investigations are on to establish backward and forward linkages in this case. Besides, efforts were being made to determine the total quantity of drugs purchased and distributed by the duo, he added. A case under the NDPS Act was registered against them at the Islamabad police station here.

While giving details of seizures in the past two months, Bhullar said during concerted drives against the drug suppliers and peddlers in the city from time to time, the Amritsar Police Commissionerate confiscated a total of 30 kg of contraband and a majority of these were trafficked via drones from the Indo-Pak border. He said the police have also arrested 60 proclaimed offenders wanted in NDPS cases during the period.

He said the police have freezed the properties worth Rs 54 lakh belonging to 12 smugglers.