Cross-border smuggling racket unearthed; 105 kg heroin seized, 2 held: Punjab Police

Punjab's Director General of Police, Gaurav Yadav said the water route was used to transport drugs from Pakistan and big rubber tubes of tyres have also been recovered.

Chandigarh: The Punjab Police on Sunday said it had busted a smuggling racket with the arrest of two associates of a Turkey-based drugs smuggler and seized 105 kg of heroin, one of the biggest drug seizures in the state.

Six weapons were also seized during the operation, police said.

"#Biggest Heroin seizure in #Punjab: In an intelligence-led operation, @PunjabPoliceInd busts a cross-border smuggling racket and apprehends two associates of foreign-based drug smuggler Navpreet Singh @ Nav Bhullar and recovers 105 Kg Heroin, 31.93 Kg Caffeine Anhydrous, 17 Kg DMR, 5 foreign made Pistols and 1 Desi Katta," Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said in a post on X.

"Water-route was used to transport drugs from #Pakistan, big rubber tubes of tyres have also been recovered, indicating that narcotic contrabands have been smuggled through water way," he added.

An FIR has been lodged and investigations are underway to establish the backward and forward linkages to nab other members of the drug cartel, the DGP said.

In a statement issued later, the DGP said police have busted a cross-border smuggling racket with the arrest of two associates of Bhullar, a Turkey-based drugs smuggler.

Those arrested have been identified as Navjot Singh, a resident of Guru Tegh Bahadur Colony in Baba Bakala, Amritsar, and Lovepreet Kumar, a resident of Kala Sanghian in Kapurthala, the DGP said.

He said apart from heroin, police have also seized a huge quantity of scheduled drugs, including 31.93 kg of caffeine anhydrous and 17 kg of dextromethorphan (DMR), from the possession of the arrested duo.

"Investigations revealed that the accused persons were using these scheduled drugs as multiplying agents to increase the heroin quantity by four times," Yadav said.

Sharing details of the operation, he said a team of the Punjab Police's Counter Intelligence (CI) in Amritsar received an intel-input that Bhullar is operating a Pakistan-backed cross-border smuggling racket using his associates camped at a rented accommodation at Colony Lady Road in Baba Bakala.

Acting swiftly, an intelligence-led operation was launched and a special checkpoint was established under the supervision of Deputy Superintendent of Police, CI, Amritsar, Balbir Singh in the Baba Bakala area, leading to the arrest of the duo and seizure of 7 kg of heroin from their car, the DGP said.

Police have also impounded the vehicle, he added.

The DGP further said on the basis of the disclosure statements of the arrested accused, police seized the remaining 98 kg of heroin along with the weapons, caffeine anhydrous and DMR from their rented premises. The route used to smuggle the narcotics consignment is being investigated, he said.