Picture : ANI/X
The Punjab police arrested more than 79,000 drug smugglers and recovered over 3,800 kg heroin since the launch of the anti-drug campaign, “Yudh Nashian Virudh”, an officials said.
The police registered 60,582 FIRs and arrested 79,784 drug smugglers, including 708 big fish involved in 354 commercial-scale cases, with each case involving recoveries of over 2 kg of heroin, since the launch of Yudh Nashian Virudh on March 1, last year, DGP Gaurav Yadav said while addressing the media here.
Sharing details, he said, till September 10, 2026, the overall drug recoveries touched a record 3,803 kg of heroin, 976 kg of opium, 46 tonnes of poppy husk, 1,325 kg of ganja, and 78 lakh intoxicant capsules/tablets.
Punjab accounts for approximately 60 per cent of India’s total heroin recovery, he said.
Accompanied by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, he highlighted the impact of professional and scientific investigation and said, “Professional and scientific investigations spearheaded by the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) have elevated Punjab’s conviction rate to 89 per cent, setting a benchmark across India. As many as 13,430 NDPS cases were decided since March 1, 2025, with convictions secured in 11,981 of them.”
The ANTF operational model has also drawn national praise, with ANTF, Additional Director General of Police, Nilabh Kishore recently addressing Indian Police Service (IPS) officers at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy (SVPNPA), Hyderabad, on combating drug trafficking and how professional investigation helped in increasing the conviction rate.
