Chandigarh, Oct 30 (IANS): Amidst the ongoing intensified efforts to wipe out drugs from the state, Punjab Police have arrested 10,524 drug smugglers, including 153 big fish, after registering 7,686 first information reports (FIRs) in the past 10 months, said Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav here on Wednesday.

Pertinently, Punjab Police have adopted a twin approach to tackle the drug menace, focusing on cracking down on big fish and targeting drug sellers at the point of sale, including villages and mohallas.

DGP Yadav, while divulging details on recovery of drugs this year, said the police teams have recovered 790 kg heroin from across the state after carrying out cordon and search operations in drug-affected areas, besides laying checkpoints at vulnerable routes across the state.

Apart from seizing heroin, the police teams have also recovered 860 kg opium, 367 quintals of poppy husk, 93 kg charas, 724 kg ganja, 19 kg ICE and 2.90 crore tablets, capsules, injections and vials of pharma opioids from across the state, he said, adding that the police have also recovered Rs 13.62 crore of drug money from the possession of drug smugglers arrested this year.

The DGP said that Punjab Police have also forfeited properties of 362 big smugglers worth Rs 208 crore since January 1, while as many as 470 cases to freeze properties worth 289 crore are pending with the competent authority for approval.

“Recently, Punjab Police got a huge success in ongoing fight against drugs after successfully executing the orders of preventive detention of a top drug smuggler identified as Avtar Singh, alias Tari, of border village Shahur Kalan in Gurdaspur district,” he said.

Notably, accused Tari had been detained under Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs Psychotropic Substances (PIT-NDPS) Act for two years and sent to Central Jail Bathinda.

This was the first case of preventive detention in which orders have been issued by the competent authority under Section 3 (1) and Section 10 of PIT-NDPS Act.

Meanwhile, as part of the ongoing special drive to arrest proclaimed pffenders (POs), absconders in NDPS cases, Punjab Police have arrested 731 POs and absconders this year.