BSF seizes 31 kg heroin in Punjab

GURDASPUR - In a major recovery along the border with Pakistan, the Border Security Force (BSF) Saturday recovered 31 kg of heroin here in Punjab, officials said here.

The heroin stock, said to be worth over Rs.31 crore in the international market, was found by the intelligence wing of the BSF near Channa post in Gurdaspur, 275 km from Chandigarh.

The consignment was hidden along the bed of Ravi river that flows along the border between India and Pakistan. The BSF launched a search in the area following a tip that a drug consignment was being delivered.

“No arrests have been made. The consignment seemed to have been abandoned by people from across the border,” a BSF official told IANS.

The 553-km barbed wire fenced border between both countries is used by smugglers. Most of the heroin and other drugs come from Afghanistan through Pakistan.

Punjab has emerged as a major transit and destination point for the drugs trade. Drug addition is prevalent among youth and people in rural areas of the state.