DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

In an intelligence-led operation, Amritsar Rural Police have busted a cross-border smuggling racket and apprehended one drug smuggler and also recovered Pakistan-origin 30 kg heroin along with one car, Punjab Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said on Friday. He said drones were used to transport drugs from Pakistan. The accused was involved in large-scale heroin smuggling, and it was reported that he had recently received a consignment of drugs smuggled via drone across the border, the DGP said.

A first information report (FIR) under the NDPS Act has been registered at the Gharinda police station. Further investigations are ongoing to identify more individuals involved and to trace the origins of the smuggling network, DGP Yadav added.

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has sought the intervention of Union Home Minister Amit Shah to provide financial assistance to the state for setting up special NDPS courts to check the drug menace.

Participating through video conferencing in the regional conference on 'Drug Trafficking and National Security' last month, the Chief Minister urged the Government of India to give one-time financial assistance for 10 years to the state to create special Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) courts and recruitment of public prosecutors along with supporting staff.

He has said 35,000 NDPS cases are pending for session trial as of January 1, adding that at the present rate of disposal, on average, a sessions court takes seven years to complete the trial of a pending case leaving aside all newly added cases.

CM Mann has said in the coming five years this average disposal time will increase from seven years (35,000 pending cases) to 11 years (55,000 pending cases). The Chief Minister has said to clear the pendency in the next five years, the state needs to create 79 new exclusive NDPS special courts and appoint 79 Public Prosecutors along with supporting staff for these

NDPS Special Courts.

(editor@dailyworld.in)