In the 36 days this year, more than 35 kg of opium, 1,161 kg of poppy husk, 5,71,211 intoxicating injections, tablets and capsules and 2.536 kg of smack has been seized in the district.

While one suspect identified as Boru Khan had been arrested for his alleged involvement in the smuggling of 2.5 kg of smack from the Kotli Devan-Buda Gujjar link road of the district, his accomplice, who was the kingpin and identified as Manoj Mama, escaped from the spot.

While 47 suspects were arrested for their involvement in smuggling and consumption of smack, 29 suspects were arrested for their involvement in smuggling of poppy husk. Eleven suspects were arrested for smuggling of opium and six for storing and selling intoxicants in 44 cases registered so far in this year.

Mr L.K. Yadav, SSP, while talking to The Tribune said that apart from the suspects arrested so far, the district police had also obtained the arrest warrants of Dr Gurdev Singh Bahia, his son Jaswinder Singh and Pawan Kumar, who were kingpins in the smuggling of opium and poppy husk and Manoj Mama, who was the kingpin in the smuggling of smack in the district.

He added that proceedings for identifying the properties acquired by these kingpins by generating money out of this illegal business had also been started.

He pointed out that due to its location, the district, which shared its border with Haryana and Rajasthan, had become a convenient place for the smuggling of narcotics, originating from Haryana, Rajasthan and other states.

He said in Malout town, a police party raided the premises of two chemists with the help of the drug inspector and seized more than 3.27 lakh tablets, 7,800 capsules and more than 200 injections, which were being sold by the suspects to customers for intoxication.

Three chemists, who were involved in this illegal trade, had been arrested.

He said these suspects had been using bedrooms and in their dwellings as godowns to store intoxicants so that these could be concealed whenever a police party raided their premises.

He pointed out that most of the smugglers, who had been caught so far in the district, belonged to this district only. However, a significant number of smugglers, who had been operating in this area and had been caught, belonged to other districts of Punjab and its neighbouring states like Haryana and Rajasthan.