‘Internet calls to strike drug deals make cracking cases difficult’

CHANDIGARH: Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), north-zone unit, has since January 2014 arrested 188 drug peddlers with various contraband till date.
Data shows that smuggling charas, opium and heroin has increased every year and according to NCB officials, the use of Whatsapp messages, calling and other technology by the smugglers has been a big boost to this illegal business and a challenge before the NCB sleuths get a breakthrough.




NCB-north operates in Punjab, Himachal and Haryana excluding NCR part of Haryana.

According to available data, NCB has arrested total 188 drug peddlers in total 252 NDPS cases since 2014. The trends suggest that in the north zone, the smuggling of temporary drugs like charas, heroin and opium is on high in comparison to other drugs. In 2014, NCB recovered 39kg charas from drug peddlers. Next year the figure slipped to 23.110kg.



However in 2016, NCB seized 48kg charas, which was more than double of the previous year’s amount. The figure of seizure of charas in 2017 crossed three-digit mark with 107 kg of the contraband seized from the peddlers. NCB has seized 14kg charas this year till now.

Recovery of heroin has however broken all the records as NCB has seized 900kg of the drug in last four-and-a-half years. The bureau seized 284.5kg in 2014, 183kg in 2015, 148kg in 2016 and 210kg in 2017.

This year, NCB caught peddlers with a total of 55kg heroin so far.

Opium has also been seized in a large quantity in last four-and-a-half years. A total of 155 kg of the drug has been seized since 2014. Data shows NCB sleuths seized 36.5 kg opium in 2014, 36.3kg in 2015, 17.6kg in 2016 and 49.9kg in 2017. This year, NCB has seized 15kg opium from drug smugglers.

NCB officials said those days are gone when investigating agencies used trace the calls of smugglers and catch them with drugs. Now-a-days, peddlers use internet calls, WhatsApp messages and calls, to decide the venue of drug supply and for other deals.

While talking to TOI, Kuldeep Sharma, NCB superintendent, said NCB had made some major seizures in recent years. “But now, it has been found out that the peddlers no more make calls from mobile or landlines and use only messages and internet calling facilities for deals. In such cases, investigating agencies are only dependent on the accurate information on movements of peddlers from their informers,” he said. Sometimes, the informers provide phone numbers of drug dealers, he said. “But, even after putting their numbers on surveillance for many days, the agencies do not get anything. This year NCB cracked four cases and during investigation, it was found that the deal was struck by using WhatsApp messages and internet calls.