Five Held in Cross-Border Drug, Arms Smuggling Module, 21 Kg Heroin Seized

The Amritsar Commissionerate Police have arrested five persons allegedly linked to a cross-border narcotics and arms smuggling module and recovered more than 21 kg of heroin, 970 grams of methamphetamine, an illegal pistol and four live cartridges, officials said on Friday.

The accused have been identified as Gagan alias Dishka (23) and Jaspinder Singh (25), both from Gurdaspur district; Sukhpreet Singh alias Sukh (30) and Manpreet Singh alias Mannu (26) from Amritsar Rural; and Abhishek Sabharwal alias Abhi (25) of Amritsar.

Punjab Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said a preliminary investigation indicated that the accused were in direct contact with a foreign-based smuggler, who allegedly facilitated the movement of heroin and illegal weapons across the International Border for further distribution.

According to police, acting on reliable intelligence, teams first arrested Gagan and Jaspinder and recovered a .30 bore illegal pistol and four live cartridges from them. Following their disclosure statements, police recovered 1.01 kg of heroin and 970 grams of methamphetamine, commonly known as ICE.

Subsequently, police arrested Sukhpreet, Abhishek and Manpreet and recovered another 20.2 kg of heroin from their possession, taking the total heroin seizure to more than 21 kg.

Police said Sukhpreet is a habitual offender and has previously faced cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act and the Arms Act.

An FIR has been registered at Airport police station in Amritsar. Further investigation is underway to trace the forward and backward linkages of the alleged smuggling network and identify other persons connected with the cross-border handlers, the DGP said.