Drone drops used to push guns, drugs into Punjab
Punjab Police have busted two smuggling networks that had been supplying weapons and narcotics into the state and were using drones to transport their cargo across the international border. Six people have now been arrested, and 2.920 kg of heroin together with eight high-end pistols have been seized.
Gaurav Yadav, the Director General of Police (DGP), stated that the State Special Operations Cell (SSOC), Amritsar, and the Counter Intelligence (CI) unit in Amritsar conducted the two operations independently. “As a result of a breakthrough, the State Special Operations Cell (SSOC), Amritsar and Counter Intelligence (CI), Amritsar, carried out two separate operations during which they busted smuggling networks involving weapons and narcotics, arrested six suspects, and seized 2.920 kg of heroin together with eight high-end pistols,” he posted on X.
As the DGP has stated, the main conclusion of the initial investigation concerns the method of delivery; it is alleged that the accused were involved in a cross-border pipeline that received both arms and heroin by drone and then got ready to distribute the cargo amongst the criminal elements in Punjab. First Information Reports (FIRs) have separately been filed at the SSOC police station in Amritsar.
The importance of that point goes beyond the actual figures. A drone doesn’t require a gap in the fence or a crossing of a river to be delivered by a courier; it is capable of carrying a small cargo, such as pistols packed with magazines or heroin compressed into small parcels, and can drop it in the fields or in areas beside rivers on the Indian side. After it has been delivered to the ground, the cargo can be picked up, divided up and transported inland before the security forces arrive.
According to the police, the most recent modules adhered to that sequence: they received the drop, took custody of the weapons and the narcotics, and then introduced them into the state’s criminal market. The fact that nearly three kilograms of heroin and eight pistols have been recovered from the same series of operations indicates that the drones were not used for a single type of commodity; arms and drugs were using the same air route.
The investigators are currently working on reconstructing the corridor by starting at both ends. The forward linkages would show who was waiting for the pistols and the heroin in Punjab, while the backward linkages would reveal who packed the drones, who flew them, and who directed the drops from over the border.
DGP Yadav stated that the investigation targets everyone connected to the network, not just the six already in custody.
The employment of drones also accounts for the fact that such modules may appear small on the ground yet still be organised. The six arrested people are referred to as receivers and distributors, not as the source of the consignment.
According to the police, the source is on the other side of the border; the drone covers the final leg. This year, the area around Amritsar has repeatedly followed this pattern: uncrewed missions taking place at night or in low-visibility conditions, a short landing period, and a local team being sent to recover the package. The two operations carried out on Friday show that at least two such teams were operating simultaneously.
That is why SSOC and CI chose to act separately rather than conduct a joint operation. The police have not stated the names of the accused, have not identified the drone operators, and have not made the precise drop sites public. According to officials, these details will now form the next phase of the investigation. The weapons and heroin seized on Friday did not cross the fence; they were flown in, picked up, and prepared for sale until the two Amritsar units dismantled their devious designs.
