Amritsar: Commissionerate Police Amritsar has busted a cross-border drug cartel with the arrest of one individual and recovered 8.08 kg heroin and one .30 bore pistol along with five cartridges from his possession, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav here on Tuesday.

The arrested drug smuggler has been identified as Dharminder Singh alias Sonu, a resident of village Harsha Chhena in Amritsar. Apart from recovering heroin and a weapon, police teams have impounded his Hyundai Creata car, which the accused was using to deliver the consignments.

DGP said that the arrested person was in touch with cross-border drug smugglers, who were using Ajnala sector to drop the drug consignments using drones from across the border. Further investigations are ongoing to trace backward and forward linkages in this case, he said.

Addressing a press conference Commissioner of Police (CP) Amritsar Gurpreet Singh Bhullar,  said that acting on reliable inputs, Police teams under the supervision of DCP investigation Ravinder Pal Singh Sandhu, ADCP Investigation Navjot Singh, and ACP North Kamaljit Singh and led by Inspector Ranjit Singh Dhaliwal apprehended the above accused Dharminder alias Sonu Near Mental Hospital in Amritsar, when he was waiting for someone to deliver the consignment.

The CP said that police teams have also identified and nominated his another accomplice involved in the drug smuggling, while, probe is on to identify the person, who was supposed to receive the consignment. Efforts are being made to uncover the entire network of suppliers, dealers, and buyers, as well as to ascertain the total quantity of drugs purchased by the arrested individuals so far, he added.

A case FIR no. 20 dated March 17, 2025, has been registered under sections 21(c), and 29 of the NDPS Act and sections 25 and 27 of the Arms Act at Police Station Majitha Road in Amritsar.