International Drug Cartel Busted in Amritsar; 60 Kg Heroin Seized, 9 Arrested Across Four States
Babushahi Bureau
Amritsar, June 30, 2025 – In a major breakthrough in the ongoing anti-drug campaign ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’ spearheaded by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, the Amritsar Commissionerate Police, in collaboration with the Border Security Force (BSF) and Rajasthan Police, have dismantled a significant international drug syndicate and seized 60.302 kg of heroin from near the India-Pakistan border in Barmer, Rajasthan.
According to Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav, the drug network was being jointly operated by Pakistan-based smuggler Tanveer Shah and Canada-based handler Joban Kaler, with active support from local kingpin Gursahib Singh, who was already lodged in Goindwal Sahib Jail. Despite incarceration, Gursahib continued to operate the network using a mobile phone, which has now been recovered. His production warrant has been obtained for further investigation into the Canada-Pakistan nexus.
Arrests Made Across Multiple States
Nine individuals, including smugglers, traffickers, and a hawala operator, have been arrested from Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Jammu & Kashmir. The arrested include:
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Gagandeep Singh (23), Jashanpreet Singh (20), Gursahib Singh (25) – all from Amritsar
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Rajeev Panjgotra alias Rajveer (29), Somnath (62), Prashotam Singh alias Kala (50), Rajinder Kaur (42) – all from J&K
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Kulwinder Singh (24) from Amritsar
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An unidentified hawala operator
Hawala Network and Jail Links Exposed
Commissioner of Police Amritsar Gurpreet Singh Bhullar revealed that the probe began with the arrest of Gursahib Singh last month, who was caught with 1 kg heroin. Despite being in jail, he orchestrated further operations via his nephew Jashanpreet Singh and aide Gagandeep Singh, who were held with 102 grams of heroin. Their interrogation led to the recovery of the 60 kg heroin consignment in Barmer.
The investigation also exposed the hawala network used to channel drug money, leading to the arrest of a key operator.
Ongoing Investigation and Raids
The case is being investigated under FIR No. 118 dated 17/06/2025 registered under NDPS Act Sections 21-B, 21-C, 27-B, and 29 at Police Station Chheharta, Amritsar. Raids are underway to nab five additional suspects linked to Pakistan-based Tanveer Shah.
Supervised Crackdown
The operation was carried out under the supervision of senior officers including DCP (D) City Ravinderpal Singh, ADCPs Jagbinder Singh and Harpal Singh, ACPs Yadwinder Singh and Shivdarshan Singh, and SHO Vinod Sharma, along with CIA teams led by Amolakdeep Singh and Ravi Kumar.
The DGP reiterated that the Punjab Police is committed to dismantling cross-border drug networks and disrupting narco-terror financing through multi-agency coordination and zero-tolerance enforcement.