7 foreigners nabbed, Rs 1L drug tabs seized in Punjab as NCB ups action against drugs

In a major crackdown, the Narcotics Control Bureau has apprehended seven foreigners for allegedly running a clandestine cross-border heroin smuggling racket and seized narcotics tablets worth over Rs 1 lakh in a separate case in Punjab, officials said on Friday.

The federal anti-narcotics agency has stepped up its action against drug couriers after the Union government recently formed a joint coordination committee under Rakesh Asthana, the director general of the NCB, to monitor major drug cases in the country.

Over the last few days, the NCB has apprehended in Delhi seven Afghan and Nigerian nationals, who were part of an international heroin smuggling racket.

The agency is working on the case, a senior official said.

In an another instance of stepped up action against drug smugglers, the agency seized over Rs 1 lakh tablets and capsules of banned pharmaceutical drug Tramadol from Haridwar in Uttarakhand.

They said the drug seizure was effected by NCB officials of Chandigarh zone as the roots of the case are in Punjab.

"The NCB's Amritsar office apprehended an absconding accused in a case of seizure of 60 kg heroin. The said person was nabbed while delivering 9 gms of heroin to a receiver. Both have been arrested," the official said.

"Their interrogation has led to inputs regarding other traffickers and operation to nab them is underway," he said.

In an another seizure made over the last few days, he said, the agency seized 351.91 kgs of poppy husk being smuggled in a car and a truck from Punjab.

The NCB also seized over 54 kgs of ganja on August 17 during an operation in Guna district of Madhya Pradesh.

The agency, in a similar such operation, seized 10,000 Yaba tablets and arrested three people on Thursday from a bus stand in Murshidabad district of West Bengal.

The drug is heavily trafficked to Bangladesh and Indian agencies are on their guard to check its transport across the border.

Officials said the NCB has gone on top gear and is on high alert vis-a-vis drug smuggling rackets as they have inputs to suggest that there has been a bumper production of illicit opium and heroin in Afghanistan during 2017-18 which is being pushed in India through all routes possible, be it air, sea or land.

"It is estimated that close to 9,000 metric tonnes of opium was produced in Afghanistan during the year 2017. This will translate into a potential heroin yield of about 1000 metric tonnes," the official said.

As there is an increase of opiate trafficking originating from Afghanistan to India in the last few months, all agencies have been asked to ensure maximum vigil to check drugs smuggling. Such seizures and apprehensions are expected to continue in the coming days, he said.