Sharing details of the ongoing anti-drug drive, Yadav said a total of 13,038 people have been arrested and 8,344 FIRs have been lodged under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. Of the total arrested persons, 1,696 were “big fish”, he said.He said police seized 586 kg heroin, 14,000 kg poppy husks, 247 kg opium, 253 kg ganja, 1.6 kg ICE and 25.70 lakh capsules and tablets during the drive.Of the 1,205 drugs cases in which trial has been completed, conviction was secured in 1,085, which is 90 per cent. He added that 48 hawala operators were arrested and Rs 10.76 crore of hawala money was recovered.“We are aiming to take our three-pronged strategy — enforcement de-addiction and prevention — forward to bring drug users into the mainstream. We have achieved major success in our goal of eliminating drugs from the state. This drive will continue relentlessly,” Yadav said.Asked whether Punjab is now a drug-free state, he said, “I can say that drug availability in the state has hugely reduced. There are pockets where drugs are available, but (earlier) there was a talk of easy availability (of drugs), there is no such thing now. I cannot say it (drugs) is totally eliminated because it is a cyclical thing, but major work has been done in this regard.”Last month, Yadav said senior police officers in districts had been directed to cut the drug supply lines by May 31 to make narcotics unavailable in the state.Senior superintendents of police and commissioners will be rewarded for their good work, while those whose performance is not up to the mark will be held accountable, he said.
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