Punjab Police: 9,917 drug smugglers held since July

Chandigarh, January 9

The police have arrested as many as 9,917 drug smugglers since July 5 last year when a crackdown against such elements started. The police have registered a total of 7,533 FIRs of which 852 relate to seizure of commercial quantity of contraband.

Addressing a press conference here on Monday, Sukhchain Singh Gill, Inspector General of Police, Headquarters, said police teams had seized 418.44-kg heroin from across the state after carrying out cordon and search operations in drug-affected areas besides laying nakas at vulnerable routes across the state.

Additionally, 147.5-kg heroin was seized from ports of Gujarat and Maharashtra, taking the total seizure of heroin to 565.94 kg in six months, he said. Apart from big heroin hauls, the IGP said the police had also recovered 407-kg opium, 407-kg ganja and 233 quintals of poppy husk.