Guwahati, August 17, 2024 — The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has detained drug lords Akshay Chhabra and Jaspal Singh, alias Goldy, under the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (PITNDPS) Act. The detention, announced by the NCB’s Chandigarh Zonal Unit, aims to disrupt their narcotics smuggling operations, with both detainees to be held in Dibrugarh, Assam.
Despite their imprisonment, Chhabra and Goldy continued their criminal activities, leading to additional FIRs against Chhabra and one FIR against Goldy under the NDPS Act. This move marks the second significant action by the NCB against the regional drug mafia, following an earlier operation on August 13 targeting Balwinder Singh, alias Billa Havellian.
Chhabra, arrested on November 24, 2022, at Jaipur International Airport while attempting to flee to Sharjah, UAE, is identified as a key figure in a large-scale drug syndicate based in Ludhiana. The investigation revealed the syndicate had smuggled approximately 1,400 kg of heroin from various locations, including ICP Attari, Punjab, Mundra Sea Port, Gujarat, and Jammu and Kashmir.
The NCB’s efforts have led to the arrest of 20 individuals linked to the syndicate, including traffickers, white-collar criminals, and two Afghan nationals. The bureau 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. Additionally, two heroin processing hideouts have been dismantled, and assets worth over Rs 57 crore have been frozen.
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