Punjab destroys several quintals of drugs to mark International Day Against Drug Abuse

The Punjab police on Friday said it has destroyed several quintals of illicit drugs at various places in the state, in a symbolic gesture to mark the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

The destruction of the drugs came amid Chief Minister Amarinder Singh's assertion that his government would not rest till every single drug smuggler or trader lands behind the bars with drug mafia eliminated from Punjab and the state freed from the menace.

Singh declared that while the back of the drugs mafia has been successfully broken, the war against narcotics was still on with narco-terrorists from across the border continuing to push drugs into Punjab, using drones and other routes.

Giving details of the drugs destroyed, Director General of Police Dinkar Gupta said teams of Punjab police took over the task of destroying 62.140 kg of heroin, along with 326.52 quintals of poppy husk, 12.536 kg of Charas and other narcotics including smack and brown sugar.

Also, 41.880 kg of opium was deposited in the Government Opium and Alkaloid Factory, said Gupta in a statement here. He said there was a marked increase in the number of drug users joining the state government's de-addiction programme since the imposition of the Covid-19 lockdown in Punjab. Around 1.30 lakh drug users have joined the de-addiction programme since March, indicating a reduction in the availability of drugs in villages and towns.

The concerted efforts of the Punjab police, including the Special Task Force (STF), have led to manifold increase in heroin seizure in the state in less than four years -- from 207 kg in 2016 to 410 kg in 2018, 464 kg in 2019 and 504 kg in 2020.

The police made a single largest seizure ever of 504 kg heroin in 2020, said the DGP. Since the Congress-led government took over in March 2017, a total of 180 'big fish' among drug smugglers have been arrested, with properties worth Rs 118 crore forfeited.

DGP said the property forfeiture of major drug smugglers has gone up by more than thrice since 2017, when forfeiture stood at Rs 18 crore, to Rs 58 crore in 2020. Property worth Rs 118 crore has been frozen by the competent authority in this period.