Last updated: 12 Jan 2025
BIG Drug Dealers: 153 arrested linked to big drug seizures of 2+ kg of Heroin in 2024[1]
Highest Conviction rate at 82.5% in 2024[2]
-- 81% Conviction rate in 2023[3]
-- Meagre 59% in 2018 in NDPS Act
Huge uptick in Police Success
-- 220+% jump in Heroin recoveries in 2023 as compared 2021 (details further down the page)[3:1]
-- 2247 Villages declared Drug-Free in Punjab in 2023[4]
Strong Policing: Mar 2022 - Jan 2025[2:1]
-- Arrested: 43,000 (5856+ big fish)
-- Drugs seized: Heroin: 3,000 kg, Opium: 2,600 Kg, Tablets/injections/vials: 4.3 crore, Drug money: Rs 30.83+ crore
-- FIRs: 31,500 (3581+ commercial quantities)
Strict action against police officers, politicians involved
-- SAD senior politician Majithia booked[5]
-- Congress leader Sukhpal Khaira arrested[6]
-- AIG Police Raj Jit Singh dismissed & named in FIR[7]
-- DSP Lakhvir Singh arrested for allegedly accepting Rs 10 lakh[8]
-- SI booked for supporting drug mafia[9]
¶ 1. Strong Policing: Zero tolerance approach
- Anti-Narcotics Task Force Special anti-Drugs Unit
- Strengthening 2nd Line of Defence on Borders Breaking Drugs supply via Drones from Pak
- Whatsapp helpline for reporting Drug related suspicious activities
| Year | Arrested | FIRs |
|---|---|---|
| 2024[10] | 8,935 (210 Big fish) | 12,255 (1,213 Commercial quantity) |
| 2023[11] | 14,951 (2424 Big fish) | 10786 (1385 Commercial quantity) |
¶ IMPACT: Herion Recovery over the years
| Year | Herion Seized[3:2] |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 1099 Kg[10:1] |
| 2023 | 1346 kg |
| 2022 | 594kg |
| 2021 | 571kg |
| 2020 | 760kg |
| 2019 | 460kg |
| 2018 | 424kg |
| 2017 | 179kg |
¶ 2. Special New Anti-DRUGS Initiatives
- Targetting Profits/Properties of Smugglers Properties/Cars/Assets are Seized
- Breaking local Police Nexus with reforms Merit based Postings & Strict Transfers
- Implemented Stringent law PIT-NDPS after 35 years Custody for drug lords under Strict rules
- Rehabilitation over Criminal prosecution for small criminals Victimsied Youth forced in drugs trade given a chance
- De-addiction, rehabilation & Awareness New Centers & Mental Health Policy
¶ 3. Arresting POs/Absconders[12]
2378 Proclaimed offenders/absconders in Drugs cases arrested since 16 March 2022 to Sept 2024
- Special teams to arrest Drug case POs absconding
- Categorise the POs under three categories
¶ 4. Intelligence Gathering: Mission Nishchay[13]
Strong Intelligence Gathering[14]: Police has prepared a list of
-- 9,000 drug peddlers
-- 750 drug hotspotsRegular Raids & tracking started to keep a check
- Launched Special operation in border villages to gather intelligence about demand and supply of drugs
- The initiative aims to gather actionable intelligence and engage local communities
- It targets areas with close proximity to the border and a history of drug trafficking incidences
- Police officers will fan out in villages in Fazilka district and interact with residents
¶ 5. Strengthing of Police & Jails
- NEW High Security Jail for dreaded criminals
- SSF - Highway Traffic Patrolling Force Highways patrolling & aid in chasing criminals
- Reforms: Civilian Experts hiring in police
- Bumper Police officer hiring 10,000 New posts created
- Judicial Reforms in sub-ordinate courts of Punjab More Judges, Courts & Higher Pay
- Jail reforms Check on Criminal activities from Jail
¶ 6. Long term solution
Identifying unemployment & unengaged youth as one of the reasons why youth get attracted to drugs
- Employment Generation for youth In Punjab Govt & Private Sector jobs
- Khedan Watan Punjab Diyan Annual sports event started for youth engagement
¶ Challenges
- The drug menace in Punjab is believed to have started in early 1980s
- Neither 15 years each of NDA rule, nor 15 years of Congress rule could tackle this problem
- Deeply rooted drug problem : about 2/3rd families have at least one addict[15]
- 47% of jail inmates drug addicts : many criminals part of drug racket[16]
- Police officers[9:1][7:1][8:1], army-personnel[17], politicians[5:1] involved in drug racket
- Pakistan Smugglers use sophisticated techniques like delivery by drones to send drugs across border[18]
References:
https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/chandigarh-news/153-major-traffickers-linked-to-drug-seizures-arrested-in-2024-punjab-police-101730286167375.html ↩︎
https://yespunjab.com/cm-mann-seeks-amit-shahs-intervention-for-setting-up-special-ndps-courts-to-check-drug-menace/ ↩︎ ↩︎
https://www.youtube.com/live/Uux43TU8-Pg?si=HUkttiwAIRZAbzaJ&t=205 (Punjab Police 2023 End PC) ↩︎
https://www.deccanherald.com/national/north-and-central/punjab-sit-probing-drug-case-involving-sad-leader-bikram-majithia-reconstituted-1220844.html ↩︎ ↩︎
https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/congress-leader-sukhpal-khaira-remanded-in-two-day-police-custody-552114 ↩︎
https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/chandigarh-news/punjab-police-drug-mafia-nexus-dismissed-senior-official-faces-probe-for-amassing-wealth-through-narcotics-sale-assets-seized-drugmafia-punjabpolice-narcotics-vigilancebureau-101681729035045.html ↩︎ ↩︎
https://theprint.in/india/punjab-police-dsp-held-for-accepting-rs-10-lakh-bribe-from-drugs-supplier/1028036/ ↩︎ ↩︎
https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/chandigarh/cop-booked-for-setting-drug-peddler-free-accepting-rs-70000-bribe-in-ludhiana-8526444/ ↩︎ ↩︎
https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/chandigarh/punjab-police-high-profile-crimes-solved-terrorists-arrested-2024-9754223/ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/chandigarh-news/nearly-40-000-drug-smugglers-held-in-past-2-5-years-punjab-police-101726511792404.html ↩︎
https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/chandigarh/police-launch-mission-nishchay-fazilka-to-gather-intelligence-about-drugs-9391832/ ↩︎
https://www.theweek.in/wire-updates/national/2024/06/18/des23-pb-drugs-police-2ndld-mann.html ↩︎
https://www.indiatimes.com/news/india/47-of-inmates-in-25-jails-of-punjab-are-addicted-to-drugs-reveals-screening-576647.html ↩︎
https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/chandigarh/army-personnel-aide-held-in-punjab-with-31-kg-heroin-smuggled-in-from-pakistan-8367406/ ↩︎
https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/drugs-pushed-by-pak-using-drone-5-kg-heroin-seized-punjab-cops-3734169 ↩︎
