Punjab: Two drug smugglers detained under PIT-NDPS sent to Assam jail

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) detained drug lord Akshay Chhabra and Jaspal Singh, alias Goldy, under the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (PITNDPS) Act on Saturday. 

The NCB's Chandigarh Zonal Unit stated in a press release that both will be detained in Dibrugarh, Assam, to curtail their narco-smuggling activities. Despite being in jail, both detainees continued their activities, resulting in three additional FIRs against Chhabra and one FIR under the NDPS Act against Goldy. 

This is the second such action by the NCB to break the jail-based drug mafia in the region. Earlier on August 13, the first action was taken against Balwinder Singh, alias Billa Havellian. According to the press release, Chhabra was arrested from Jaipur International Airport while attempting to flee to Sharjah, UAE, on November 24, 2022. 

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During the NCB's investigation, Goldy was identified as a main member of Chhabra's drug syndicate. The investigation revealed that this international drug syndicate based in Ludhiana had smuggled close to 1400 kg of heroin from ICP Attari, Punjab, Mundra Sea Port, Gujarat, and Jammu and Kashmir. 

A total of 20 people have been arrested by the NCB in this matter, including the kingpin, traffickers, white-collar criminals, and two Afghan nationals. To date, the NCB has seized around 40 kg of heroin, 0.557 kg of opium, 23.645 kg of suspected narcotics powder, four bottles of HCL, 31 live bullets, and one magazine from the syndicate. 

Two heroin processing hideouts of this group have also been busted. The Chandigarh Zonal Unit of the NCB has also frozen more than Rs 57 crore of immovable and movable properties of this drug syndicate.