Police refutes UN report on drug consumption

Amritsar, June 30 : The Special Narcotics Cell of the Punjab Police has trashed a UN report which says that avaliablity and consumption of narcotics has increased in the state in recent years.

While conceding that Punjab could have become a transit point for contraband drugs smuggled from Afgahnistan, highly placed sources here yesterday asserted that on the contrary, the use of heroin and cocaine was negligble in the state.

''These two drugs are too expensive and beyond the reach of the common man'', they said while reacting to a UN World Drug Report which said availibility and consumption of drugs had increased in Punjab in recent years, especially in Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Amritsar, Ludhiana, Patiala and Chandigarh.

They said even opium, which was quite popular at one time has now become too dear resulting in a decline in its users. Instead use of poppy husk mostly smuggled in from Rajasthan has become prevalent particularly in the rural areas.

According to reports available with the Narcotics Cell, a majority of the addicts in the urban areas are hooked to intravenous drugs and cough syrups of high alchol content.

Among the richer sections, smack, which mainly comes from Uttar Pradesh, is being chased.

Regarding smuggling of heroin from Afghanistan via Pakistan, the sources said the instance of bulk smuggling had definitely reduced.

Statistics available with the Cell point out that during the phase of militancy in Punjab, a single heroin consignment was usually of 30 kg and above which has now come down to less than 20 kg.

The Narcotics Cell was formed here in December last year, in place of the Joint Interrogation Centre (JIC), that also dealt with cross-border crimes. Since its inception, the Cell has recorded seizures of 59 kg of heroin in nine raids by various law enforcing agencies in the state.

Sources said during the militancy phase, the drug smugglers of Punjab used the Jammu-Samba route, while now they were using the Punjab sector for bringing small consignments from across the border. In the past, along with a consignment of heroin, the Pakistan-based militants forced the smugglers to carry weapons and explosives, they said.

However, now the modus operandi has undergone a change with the smugglers opting for the 'conceal and retrieve'' method in which small quantities of heroin are thrown across the barbed wire fence or concealed in the fields between the zero line and the fence by the Pakistani smugglers, to be retrieved later by a hired courier.

Narcotics Cell officals claimed the heroin smuggled from Afghanistan was not being consumed in Punjab, but transported to Delhi.

UNI