Two nabbed with huge quantity of poppy husk, opium

In an effort to check drug abuse in the region, the Bathinda counter intelligence wing on Thursday nabbed two inter-state smugglers and recovered a huge quantity of drugs, including poppy husk and opium, along with drug money.

In an effort to check drug abuse in the region, the Bathinda counter intelligence wing on Thursday nabbed two inter-state smugglers and recovered a huge quantity of drugs, including poppy husk and opium, along with drug money.

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Nearly 14.8 quintal of poppy husk, 250-gm opium and R15,000 were recovered from Jeet Singh, a resident of Ludhiana, and Mohammad Latif of Jammu and Kashmir, who were involved in drug smuggling for the past 15 years.

They have been booked under Sections 15/18/25/61/85 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act at the thermal police station, Bathinda.

CI officials claimed that the accused were carrying bags of poppy husk as clay powder bags in a truck and managed to cross all barriers in Haryana and Rajasthan but were caught by CI officials near third lake of Bathinda district.

Inspector general of police, CI, Bathinda Range, Jatindra Jain said, "The accused during interrogation admitted of being involved in smuggling business for the past 15 years. Till now this year, they had managed to smuggle drugs more than six times. The accused brought poppy husk in 40 bags and had purchased it from Kishangarh in Rajasthan for R400 per kg. They had planned to sell it for R1,200 a kg in Moga, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Jagraon."

"Accused Jit Singh has already cases registered against him at different police stations in Bathinda and Rajasthan. In Rajasthan, he was arrested with 58 bags of poppy husk in 2004 and was sentenced by the court to 10 years with R10,000 fine, while in Bathinda he was arrested with 1.5-kg opium in 2000 and was sentenced to two years. After coming out of jail, Jit Singh again started drug smuggling." added Jain.