Amritsar police have successfully dismantled a cross-border narcotics smuggling network, arresting a local operative and seizing a significant quantity of heroin. The accused, identified as Pawandeep Singh, a resident of Amritsar, was apprehended during an operation that resulted in the recovery of more than 5 kilograms of heroin. This operation forms part of the Punjab government’s ongoing campaign to make the state drug-free, a mission being pursued under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann. The crackdown demonstrates the state police’s proactive approach in tackling drug trafficking, particularly those syndicates that operate with international backing and advanced smuggling methods.
According to Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav, the arrested individual revealed crucial details during interrogation. Pawandeep Singh confessed that he was working under the instructions of Harpal Singh, a handler who has been residing in the United States for the past two years. Harpal Singh, despite reportedly having a clean background before moving abroad, appears to have become deeply involved in drug smuggling operations after settling overseas. He is said to maintain close links with traffickers based in Pakistan, and together they coordinated the movement of narcotics and weapons across the Indo-Pak border using drones. This revelation highlights the increasing reliance of international smuggling networks on unmanned aerial technology, which allows them to evade traditional security measures and push consignments deep into Indian territory.
The intelligence leading to this bust was received by the Counter-Intelligence unit of Amritsar, which learned about a consignment being smuggled near Dhanoe Kalan, a village situated close to the international border. Acting swiftly on this tip-off, police teams intercepted Pawandeep Singh near Beharwal village as he was preparing to move the heroin further into the distribution chain. Upon searching him, officers recovered 5.032 kilograms of heroin.
Following the seizure, a case was registered against the accused under Sections 21 and 29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985 at the State Special Operation Cell in Amritsar. Investigations are continuing to trace the wider network, its financial channels, and the domestic collaborators who may be assisting the cross-border syndicate. This operation not only led to a substantial recovery but also exposed the dangerous nexus between foreign-based handlers and local operatives that is fueling Punjab’s narcotics crisis.
