Punjab: Cross-border drug smuggling racket busted, 12 kg heroin seized

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The Punjab Police on Monday said it has busted a cross-border drug smuggling racket being operated by a US-based smuggler with the arrest of one of its members from Amritsar and seizure of 12 kilograms of heroin.

Announcing the development in a post on X, Punjab Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said the narcotic network used drones to transport drugs from Pakistan.

"Big blow to trans border narcotic network: SSOC (State Special Operation Cell) Amritsar has busted a cross-border heroin smuggling racket and arrested one person and recovered 12 kg heroin," he said.

"Drones were used to transport drugs from Pakistan," Yadav added.

He said the arrested person, identified as Rahul of Naraingarh in Amritsar, allegedly has direct links with notorious drug smuggler Ranjeet alias Cheeta.

"Arrested person is having direct links with infamous drug smuggler Ranjeet Cheeta who was arrested in May, 2020 for 532 kg heroin haul and his brother Sarwan Singh operating from the USA," the DGP said.

Later, in a statement, the DGP said the cross-border drug smuggling racket was being operated by US-based smuggler Sarwan Singh.

Sarwan Singh, who is wanted in a 532-kg heroin haul case, is carrying Rs 2 lakh reward on his arrest, he said.

Ranjeet was the mastermind behind the smuggling of 532 packets of heroin which were seized by Customs department at Integrated Check Post at Attari in July 2019 and is being investigated by the NIA, he said.

Apart from seizing heroin, police teams have also impounded the arrested drug smuggler's car in which he was travelling.

DGP Yadav said that following intelligence inputs that associates of Sarwan Singh have retrieved a heroin consignment dropped via drone and they are going to deliver it to someone, the SSOC conducted a special checking in the city area of Amritsar, and arrested Rahul after recovering 12 packets of heroin, weighing 1kg each, from his car.

The DGP said as per preliminary investigations, the accused was directly in touch with US-based smuggler Sarwan Singh and was supplying heroin across the state after importing it from Pakistan.