Heroin trade via pipes: Chandigarh police unraveled family drug empire
he crackdown, conducted by the police station crime branch, resulted in the seizure of approximately 312.71 grams of heroin and ₹5.12 lakh drug money
UT Police has dismantled a Pakistan ISI-backed international drug trafficking network, arresting nine individuals, including the kingpin Gurmeet Singh, a resident of Jalalabad (Punjab). The crackdown, conducted by the police station crime branch, resulted in the seizure of approximately 312.71 grams of heroin and ₹5.12 lakh drug money.
Cracking the syndicate: How it began
On April 14, acting on reliable intelligence, a crime branch team led by inspector Satvinder Singh, apprehended two drug peddlers — Balkar Singh and Navneet Kaur — and recovered 35.17 grams of heroin from them.
During police remand, the accused made such disclosures that triggered raids across Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan, ultimately uncovering the full extent of a Pakistan-supported international drug network. The accused had fled Bikaner (Rajasthan), where police arrested them.
Smuggling through pipes and fog
At the heart of the syndicate was direct collaboration with Pakistani smugglers, particularly Riyaz Sarwar, commonly referred to as “Gill” in code words and Aabid Ali from the Kasur area across the border. The gang, led by Gurmeet Singh and his father Satnam Singh, utilised ingenious methods to smuggle heroin into India.
Members of the gang regularly conducted reconnaissance along the border. They carefully observed and monitored the movement patterns of the BSF (Border Security Force) personnel to understand the timing and frequency of patrols. They operated through marked pillars near BSF posts and once the smugglers were confident that the BSF patrol had moved away from the marked pillars, they would quickly push two to three packets of heroin through the 4-inch water pipe installed near fencing at a time. This method allowed them to smuggle consignments discreetly without physically crossing the border, reducing the risk of being caught.
After pushing the heroin packets through the 4-inch pipe, operatives on the Indian side would swiftly retrieve the consignments. Each smuggler responsible for collecting the drugs from the border was paid a commission of ₹1.5 lakh per delivery. Additionally, the recipient of the heroin in India would make a payment to the Pakistani sender, a portion of which was reportedly shared with Pakistan’s intelligence agency, the ISI.
Active since 2019
This connection was not a recent development — it dates back to 2019, when Gurmeet’s father Satnam Singh, along with Mahinder Singh, a notorious Ferozepur drug trafficker, first collaborated with Pakistani handlers to smuggle 70 kg of heroin. Over the last five years, it is estimated that more than one quintal of heroin was funneled into India through this cartel.
Police also found that Gurmeet Singh was Facebook friends with Pakistani smuggler Riyaz Sarwar, pointing to the use of social media for maintaining criminal liaisons.
