Delhi emerging as new drug-procuring hotspot

: With the state’s borders under the increased vigil of the Punjab Police and the BSF to ensure drug smuggling does not happen from there, Delhi has emerged as new source of supply for the state’s smugglers, the Jalandhar Police have found.

“In the last 100 substantial recoveries of heroin and other contraband in the district, over 80% are linked to Delhi. We have arrested 485 peddlers over past four months,” said Jalandhar SSP Navjot Singh Mahal. He said, “Opium and drug tablets are being smuggled in huge quantity from Delhi. Poppy husk is being smuggled from J&K, while opium comes from Bihar and UP.”

Over the past four months, the police have seized 23kg opium, 8.5-kg heroin, 1,385-kg poppy husk, over 2 lakh drug tablets and other banned substances from 485 drug peddlers. “Smugglers are shifting base to Delhi, from

Pakistan and Afghanistan due to increased checking. Drug mafia now considers Delhi as a transit hub and there areas like outer Delhi and west Delhi are emerging as centres that supply such contraband,” said a senior police officer, not wishing to be named.

SPURT IN ARRESTS OF FOREIGNERS

Police add that this year to date, eight foreigner drug peddlers had been arrested with 4.3-kg heroin. Six of these arrests and seizure of 3.3kg heroin had been made over

the past months, indicating a spurt in smuggling activity, a department official claimed, adding that all of them had sourced the drug from Delhi. The SSP said, “Local drug peddlers confessed to have bought drugs, especially heroin from Delhi, to sell in Jalandhar at profit. They prefer to use public road transport.” He said in the two recent arrests of a Nigerian with 1.5kg on November 19 and the arrest of two men with 255gm heroin on November 26, the source of the contraband found on them was Delhi.