Punjab Police have frozen illicit assets worth ₹300 crore belonging to 750 drug smugglers over the past 15 months, dismantling the financial backbone of organised narco-hawala networks operating across the state and beyond, Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said on Sunday, 31 May.

The crackdown marks a deliberate strategic shift — from intercepting street-level drug supply to targeting the economic infrastructure that sustains cross-border trafficking. 'The Punjab Police force has systematically shifted its focus from mere street-level seizures to dismantling the broader economic infrastructure that funds cross-border smuggling,' an official statement quoting DGP Yadav said.

Scale of the Anti-Drug Drive

Since the drive's launch, Punjab Police have conducted simultaneous operations daily across all 28 police districts in the state. A total of 46,937 FIRs have been registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, and 65,884 people have been arrested.

Contraband recoveries have been substantial: 2,950 kg of heroin, 792 kg of opium, 666 quintals of poppy husk, 71 kg of charas, 986 kg of ganja, 56 kg of ICE, and 55 lakh intoxicant pills and tablets. Police have also recovered ₹20 crore in drug money directly from the accused.

Breaking the Hawala Chain

A significant thrust of the operation has been the aggressive targeting of clandestine hawala channels that reportedly route drug profits to foreign handlers and Pakistan-based suppliers. According to DGP Yadav, these networks operate through shell companies, encrypted applications such as WhatsApp and Signal, and virtual international numbers — making detection and prosecution complex.

To counter these tactics, Punjab Police have established Financial Investigation Units (FIUs) in every district. The structural upgrade has resulted in the arrest of 65 hawala operators and the recovery of ₹8.85 crore in hawala money.

Key Operations Exposed

In one of the most significant financial disruptions, assets worth ₹5.09 crore linked to Sharma Forex Money Exchange in Phagwara were recovered and frozen. The entity allegedly laundered drug money under the guise of driver salary payments routed through UAE channels on behalf of a Pakistan-based handler, according to the DGP.

In Ludhiana, police recovered ₹20.55 lakh from a Bikaner-based operator who allegedly managed advance payments from Pakistan to fund drug couriers. Separately, in Amritsar, a narco-arms nexus was uncovered, with the recovery of ₹1.24 crore in Indian currency alongside foreign currency.

What This Signals

This is among the most comprehensive financial crackdowns on drug networks in Punjab in recent years. The simultaneous targeting of hawala operators, forex entities, and cross-border payment channels suggests a coordinated intelligence-driven model rather than reactive policing. With FIUs now embedded at the district level, the enforcement architecture is likely to sustain pressure on trafficking finances beyond the current drive.