Indiscriminate action to be taken against drug peddlers: Chawla

The Narcotics Control Department of Sindh and Karachi District West Circle recovered drugs worth millions of rupees in two intelligence-based operations and arrested three suspects.

Officials said that on the instructions of provincial minister for excise, taxation and narcotics control Mukesh Kumar Chawla, operations are underway against drug peddlers across the province.

The department has arrested a coach passenger after recovering 15 kilograms of high-quality hashish during an operation on a tip-off. The value of the hashish in the international market is more than Rs40 million. The coach was coming to Karachi from Quetta. A case has been registered.

On the other hand, the narcotics control department and the Karachi District West Circle recovered one kilogram of ice (methamphetamine) worth millions of rupees from a suspect riding a motorcycle while carrying out a major operation on a tip-off.

The excise department has said that according to the initial investigation, suspect belongs to an organized gang involved in drug smuggling, which smuggles drugs in posh areas of the city, including Defence and Clifton. Suspect Ashfaq Ahmed alias Sahiba has been allegedly involved in drug trafficking for long, while eight cases have already been registered against the accused at different police stations of the city. Raids are being conducted to arrest other members of the gang involved in drug trafficking.

Minister Mukesh Kumar Chawla has directed that operations against drug peddlers should be intensified and the intelligence network should be made more active. He said that inter-provincial and international groups are currently involved in drug trafficking in Karachi while all steps are being taken to suppress them. He said strict action will be taken against the drug peddlers, no matter how influential they are.