Chandigarh: Launching the second phase of the ongoing drive “war against drugs’’, the Punjab police on Thursday said that its focus now will also be to dismantle the drug networks by targeting big fish including drug suppliers and kingpins fuelling the narcotics trade in the state.
Addressing newspersons, Director General of Police (DGP), Punjab, Gaurav Yadav said that while the police is not stopping at street-level arrests of drug peddlers/smugglers, the police teams are now rigorously questioning all the arrested drug peddlers/smugglers to trace and identify the big fish in narcotics trade in the state.
Our War on Drugs Intensifies!
Since March 1, 2025, under Punjab Govt’s anti-drug mission: 2248 FIRs registered, 4000 arrests made, huge drug seizures.
Street-level drug availability significantly reduced, a new strategy is in place to identify & cut off supply lines from… pic.twitter.com/ytw5R2mnpD
— DGP Punjab Police (@DGPPunjabPolice) March 25, 2025
The development came close on the heels of the DGP Punjab directing all the Commissioners of Police (CPs) and Senior Superintendents of Police (SSPs) to identify and catalogue the main drug suppliers/peddlers in their respective districts within seven days.
Giving details about the said anti-drugs campaign drive, launched on March 1, 2025, he said the same has resulted in arrest of 4142 drug smugglers from across the state and led to recovery of 146.3 kg heroin, 85.3 kg opium, 19.95 quintals poppy husk, 7.69 lakh intoxicant tablets/capsules, 1 kg ICE and Rs 5.83 crores drug money from the possession of drug smugglers.
MOHALLA COMMITTEES TO KEEP VIGIL
The DGP further said that taking a cue from the success of Village Defence Committees (VDCs), the Punjab police is now set to form Mohalla Committees in urban areas as part of its intensified war against drugs.
“Just as VDCs strengthened rural policing in border areas, Mohalla Committees will empower urban communities to fight the drug menace collectively,” said DGP Yadav.
