Nine members of drug smuggling cartel arrested, 22 kg opium seized: Punjab Police

Jalandhar (Punjab) [India], March 10 (ANI): Jalandhar Commissionerate Police arrested nine members of the international drug smuggling cartel and seized 22 kg of opium on Sunday, a police offical said.

Taking to X on Sunday, Director General of Punjab Police Gaurav Yadav said, “In a major blow to International Narcotic networks, Jalandhar Commissionerate Police arrests 9 members of International Drug Smuggling Cartel and seizes 22 Kg Opium.”

“Opium agriculturist & procurement collector arrested with 12 kg Opium from Jharkhand,” the tweet added.

Gaurav Yadav said 30 bank accounts holding Rs 9 crore have been frozen.

“Apart from the Backward & Forward linkages, police teams have frozen 30 Bank Accounts with high-value transfers of Rs 9 crore drug money,” Gaurav Yadav said in his tweet.

Also, 12 properties worth Rs 6 crores were made from proceeds of drug money were identified, he added.

Five Foreign-based entities from the UK, USA, Australia and Canada along with 6 Customs Officials in Delhi nominated, Gaurav Yadav further said in a tweet.

Punjab Police is fully committed to destroying drug networks as per directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, the tweet added.

Meanwhile, The Border Security Force (BSF) and Punjab Police, in a joint operation, recovered a packet of suspected heroin of gross weight, approximately 500 gms, in Punjab’s Amritsar on Sunday, officials said.

“On 10th March 2024, during morning hours, based on specific information of BSF, a joint search operation was conducted by @BSF_Punjab troops and @AmritsarRPolice in the border area of district Amritsar,” BSF Punjab Frontier posted on X.

During the operation, vigilant troops successfully recovered a large packet suspected to contain heroin.

“At about 10:00 am, vigilant troops successfully recovered one packet of heroin, with a gross weight of approximately 500 gms. The narcotics were wrapped with yellow adhesive tape and the recovery took place in a farming field adjacent to Roranwala Khurd village in Amritsar district,” it stated.

A reliable input and a well-coordinated joint operation of BSF and Punjab Police once again brought success in foiling a smuggling attempt of narcotics from across the border.