In a massive statewide crackdown, Punjab Police arrested 95 drug smugglers and recovered over 29 kg of contraband in a single day on Tuesday as part of an intensified anti-narcotics drive ordered by Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav.

The operation combined two simultaneous actions: a tightly coordinated interstate border blockade involving more than 600 personnel and the 283rd consecutive day of the force-wide Cordon and Search Operation (CASO) against drug networks. Special DGP (Law and Order) Arpit Shukla said strong nakas were mounted at 65 strategic entry and exit points across ten border districts—Pathankot, Hoshiarpur, Rupnagar, Mohali, Patiala, Sangrur, Mansa, Bathinda, Muktsar Sahib, and Fazilka—effectively sealing Punjab’s boundaries with Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Rajasthan, Haryana, and Chandigarh.

During the border-checking phase, police screened 1,182 vehicles, issued challans to 234, and impounded two, while registering five fresh FIRs and arresting three persons on the spot. Parallel raids at 346 suspected locations across the state yielded the bulk of the day’s haul: 68 new FIRs and the arrest of 95 drug smugglers, pushing the total number of traffickers arrested in the ongoing 283-day campaign to 39,864.

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Recoveries from the arrested persons included 1.5 kg heroin, 429 grams opium, 6 kg ganja, 21 kg poppy husk, and ₹2.95 lakh in drug money. Combined with seizures made during earlier phases of Tuesday’s operation, the total contraband confiscated exceeded 29 kg in 24 hours.

The twin-pronged offensive underscores Punjab Police’s aggressive posture of zero tolerance toward drug trafficking as the state battles a long-standing narcotics crisis fuelled largely by cross-border smuggling. Authorities have vowed to sustain both the daily CASO raids and periodic large-scale border cordons until the supply chains are decisively broken.

With assembly elections due in early 2027 and public anger over the drug abuse still running high, the Bhagwant Mann government is under pressure to demonstrate tangible results. Tuesday’s sweeping action—among the single largest daily hauls since the AAP regime launched its anti-drug offensive in 2022—is being projected as evidence that the crackdown is gathering momentum.

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