Punjab: Drug smuggling cartel busted, 2 held with 10 kg heroin, US-made drone

Chandigarh, Dec 25 (PTI) The Punjab Police on Sunday said it has busted a drug smuggling cartel and arrested two men with 10 kg heroin and a sophisticated drone.

Punjab Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said the accused have been identified as Dalbir and Jagdish, both residents of Gharinda in Amritsar.

They had been engaged in drug trafficking for the past three years and have no criminal case registered against them, he said.

Yadav said the Amritsar Rural Police in an intelligence-based operation successfully busted this cartel which had been supplying contraband to Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh after getting them from across the border using drones.

The US-made sophisticated drone recovered from the duo smugglers is a DJI series drone and is worth Rs 20 lakh. It has hi-tech features, including long-lasting battery backup and infrared-based night vision camera, he said.

Senior Superintendent of Police, Amritsar Rural Police, Swapan Sharma said both the smugglers had a well-oiled distribution network in the neighbouring states, which has been identified.

Police teams have been conducting raids at 12 locations in Haryana and Delhi, and more contraband seizures will follow, he further said.

The Amritsar Rural Police have seized 39 kg heroin in the last five months.

Tight vigil along the second line of defence and close coordination with the Border Security Force authorities has resulted in these huge seizures, he said.