The Union Home Minister’s Special Operations Medal-2023 has been awarded to 14 officials of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) who were part of the team that busted an international drug syndicate in November 2022. The network, being run from Ludhiana in Punjab, had its roots in Dubai, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
During the operation, in which 19 accused were arrested, the agency unearthed two laboratories being used to process heroin in Ludhiana. Among those arrested were two Afghan heroin processing experts and criminals linked to one Jaggu Bhagwan Puria gang. The NCB also seized about 40 kg of heroin, 0.6 kg of opium, and other articles.
Hawala network
The syndicate had been sourcing the crude heroin smuggled via a sea route through Mundra in Gujarat, and land route, including the Attari port and the International Border with Pakistan. The agency identified the “hawala” network money payment channels and group of shell firms to channel the drug money.
The NCB also sealed 66 liquor vends, identified 204 bank accounts, froze 52 of them and as many immovable properties, seized 2.5 kg of gold, and €79,000, 2,850 dirhams and ₹23 lakh in cash, besides impounding 15 vehicles. As it turned out, the network was linked to other major drug seizure cases in Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh, Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh, and in Attari (the latter was probed by the National Investigation Agency).
The operation was led by NCB Deputy Director-General (Operations) Gyaneshwar Singh, and comprised Amanjit Singh, Zonal Director incharge, Special Investigation Team (SIT); Mohinder Jit Singh, Assistant Director; Investigation Officers Amar Shankar, Karamvir Singh, Kuldeep Tomar, Sharique Omar, Rahul Saini, and Prince Kumar; and their subordinates Paramjeet, Sumit Kumar, Lalit Kumar, Sanjeev Kumar and Mijan Singh.
