Dubai-based youth among 3 held with heroin in Amritsar
With the arrest of three persons, the city police on Wednesday busted a trans-border drug smuggling racket, leading to the seizure of 1kg heroin and 1 kg ‘ice’ (methamphetamine), a popular party drug.
The contraband was smuggled from Pakistan through a drone. The cartel was linked to foreign-based gangster Gurdev Jaisal, who originally hailed from Tarn Taran.
A Dubai-returned youth, identified as Karandeep Singh (22) of Bhakna, was among three persons arrested by the police in this connection. He also stayed in Moscow before returning to India several months ago. The other two arrested include Jeevan Singh (19) and Manjinder Singh (22), both residents of Chohla Sahib in Tarn Taran.
Taking to X, the Punjab Police DGP said in a major breakthrough against trans-border narcotic smuggling networks, Amritsar Police Commissionerate apprehended three persons and seized 1 kg ‘ice’ (methamphetamine) and 1 kg heroin.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that Karandeep was earlier living in Dubai (UAE) and Moscow (Russia) before coming back to Punjab and was connected with Pakistan-based smugglers,” the DGP said. Karandeep had established his contacts with the Pak-based drug smugglers using various social media apps and started smuggling narcotics from across the border to further supply them in Amritsar and neighbouring districts, DGP said, while adding that drones were being used by Pak-based smugglers to influx narcotics into the territory of the state.
He said Karandeep was in touch with foreign-based Gangster Gurdev, alias Jaisal, a key operative of Canada-based gangsters-turned terrorists Lakhbir, alias Landa, and Satbir Singh, alias Satta, who were behind the rocket propelled grenade (RPG) attack at the police station in Sarhali. They were also behind various plots to commit targeted killings in Punjab.
Manjinder was a taxi driver and his taxi was used for transporting drugs, said Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar. An FIR under the NDPS Act was registered at the Airport police station and investigations were on to establish backward and forward linkages, he added.
