Smugglers look to MP as R’sthan bans poppy husk sale

JALANDHAR: After the blanket ban on the open sale of poppy husk (doda chura) and opium by the Rajasthan government in 2016, the Punjab Police are now grappling to tackle the smuggling of contraband from Madhya Pradesh (MP) with the counter-intelligence wing making huge recoveries in the past five months.

The Rajasthan government had in April 2016 banned the open sale of poppy husk after the then SAD-BJP government took up the matter of rampant smuggling from the neighbouring state to Punjab, where the sale of poppy husk is completely prohibited.

Following this, the drug peddlers have reportedly been purchasing husk from MP and selling it in Punjab at higher rates.

The Jalandhar counter-intelligence wing has seized over 76 quintals of poppy husk and 4kg opium since September last year.

As per the information, in the latest six recoveries, Jalandhar counter-intelligence wing has seized 280 bags of poppy husk and arrested 25 peddlers, who were transporting the banned substances from MP.

The mode of operation of the smugglers was different in each case. It varied from concealing the contraband under waste papers to putting it in gram husk bags (cattle churi).

The counter-intelligence wing managed to seize over 10 quintals of poppy husk on September 23 last year with the arrest of four smugglers of the Kapurthala district.

Four days later, the team seized over six quintals of poppy husk from three Moga and Bathinda-based smugglers, who brought the drug into the state by hiding it in the detergent bags on a truck.

Acting on tip-offs, police made a huge recovery of 112 poppyhusk bags containing over 35 quintals of contraband from three Ferozepur-based smugglers on October 20. They smuggled the husk from MP by hiding it in garlic -filled bags.

Forty bags carrying 11 quintal of poppy husk were also recovered on November 15.

This year, 4kg opium and 12 quintal of poppy husk has been recovered that was concealed in juice boxes by the smugglers.

Assistant inspector-general of police (counter-intelligence wing), Harkamal Preet Singh Khakh said, “Lured by big money, some farmers are selling their stock illegally to middlemen and smugglers in MP. On an average, a hectare of opium crop produces around three quintals of doda chura.”

“With the easy availability of drugs in Madhya Pradesh, the smugglers purchase the contraband from there at ₹20,000 per bag and sell them here for ₹60,000 to ₹70,000 per bag,” Khakh added.

76 QUINTALS OF POPPY HUSK AND 4KG OPIUM HAS BEEN SEIZED IN JALANDHAR SINCE SEPTEMBER 2017