Punjab Police arrests 227 smugglers in statewide crackdown at 831 drug hotspots

Chandigarh, Jan 17 (PTI) The Punjab Police on Saturday conducted statewide cordon and search operations at 831 identified drug hotspots as part of its ongoing anti-drug campaign and arrested 227 people alleged linked with the illicit operations, a senior official said.

As the 'Yudh Nashian Virudh' (War Against Drugs) campaign entered its 322nd day, simultaneous operations were carried out across all 28 police districts of the state between 11 am and 2 pm on Saturday, following directions of Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav, he added.

Senior officers from police headquarters were deputed to districts to supervise the exercise.

During the operation, police teams raided 831 drug hotspots, leading to the registration of 200 FIRs and arrest of 227 alleged drug smugglers, the official said.

The police recovered 745 grams of heroin, 1.2 kg opium, 550 grams of ganja, 4,935 intoxicant tablets and capsules, and Rs 8,750 in drug money, he added.

Special DGP (Law and Order) Arpit Shukla said the statewide anti-drug campaign, launched on March 1, 2025, has so far resulted in the arrest of 45,028 alleged drug smugglers and registration of 31,370 FIRs across Punjab.

He said, as part of this targeted crackdown, police have recovered 1,961 kg heroin, 607 kg opium, 27.5 quintal poppy husk, 47.57 lakh intoxicant tablets and capsules, 28 kg 'ice' (methamphetamine), and Rs 15.4 crore in drug money.

Apart from enforcement, Punjab Police has also focused on de-addiction and prevention, facilitating the admission of over 90,000 affected individuals into de-addiction centres, Shukla said.

He said the 'Safe Punjab' anti-drug WhatsApp chatbot (97791-00200) has received a strong public response, leading to the registration of more than 11,591 FIRs based on information shared by citizens.

Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann has directed police commissioners, deputy commissioners and senior superintendents of police to work towards making Punjab a drug-free state.

The state government has also constituted a five-member cabinet sub-committee, headed by Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, to monitor the anti-drug campaign. PTI VSD ARB ARB