Gujarat, Maha are new sea routes for drug smuggling, says Punjab police

Chandigarh, Aug 29: The Punjab Police on Monday said the seaports of Gujarat and Maharashtra have emerged as new routes for smuggling drugs into the country. Inspector General of Police (IGP) (Headquarters) Sukhchain Singh Gill said in the last two months, 185.5 kg of heroin smuggled via seaports of Gujarat and Maharashtra has been recovered.

The consignments were supposed to be delivered in Punjab, he said. Police on Sunday said they had recovered 38 kg of heroin from a truck coming from Bhuj in Gujarat. The narcotics had apparently entered India's borders via the sea route of Gujarat.

Earlier, in a joint operation with the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) of Gujarat on July 12, the Punjab Police had recovered 75 kg of heroin from a container at Gujarat's Mundra Port. In a similar operation with the Maharashtra Police on July 15, 72.5 kg of heroin was recovered from a container at the Nhava Sheva Port in Mumbai.

IG Gill said 370 drug smugglers and suppliers have been arrested after registering 283 FIRs under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act across Punjab in the last week. He said extensive anti-drug drives have been launched to combat the menace of drugs.

Apart from recovering a big haul of heroin, police also recovered Rs 1.09 crore in cash, 13 kg of opium, 12 kg of ganja, seven quintals of poppy husk, and 1.36 lakh intoxicant pills, capsules, injections and vials, among other drugs, during cordon and search operations in drug-affected areas, he added.

A total of 247 people have been arrested under a special drive to arrest absconders that was launched on July 5. This includes 17 proclaimed offenders (POs) in drug cases who were arrested this week, Gill said.