12.10-kg heroin seized in Faridkot, 2 held

In the biggest-ever drug haul in the district, the police today seized 12.10 kg of heroin and arrested two men allegedly linked to cross-border smuggling. Preliminary investigation revealed that the consignment had been flown in from Pakistan using a drone and was meant for distribution among local smugglers and peddlers.

According to SSP Pragya Jain, the operation was launched after the police received a tip-off. Acting on the information, the police raided a house at Jhariwala village and arrested Sukhpreet Singh and Kadar Singh district. The heroin was seized from the premises.

Jain said the accused had arranged for the consignment to be dropped across the border via drone and were storing it for supply to other traffickers.

Terming it the largest single-day heroin seizure in Faridkot’s history, the SSP said both accused were in police custody and being interrogated to expose their wider network, including links with Pakistani smugglers and the methods used to transport such large consignments across the border.

Police sources revealed that at a time when flood-ravaged Punjab was struggling to cope with the natural calamity, drug and liquor smugglers were exploiting the crisis to expand their operations. Just three days ago, the Faridkot police seized 880 cartons of IMFL from a truck that was being smuggled to Gujarat — a state where the sale of liquor is prohibited. The consignment, comprising various popular brands, had originated from Baghapurana in Moga district.

In a separate action, the Moga police intercepted another truck and recovered 120 cartons of the IMFL, further exposing the attempts by smugglers to take advantage of the state’s crisis situation to push narcotics and liquor into different markets.