Chandigarh, March 9 (NationPress) - The Punjab Police announced on Monday that they have successfully frozen illegally obtained properties valued at over Rs 600 crore, which are linked to drug traffickers, in a significant step during their ongoing efforts against the drug economy in the state over the past two years.

Remarkably, Punjab represents 50 percent of all properties frozen nationwide in drug-related cases in 2024.

This approach signifies a transformative change in enforcement focus, shifting from simply apprehending offenders and confiscating narcotics to strategically targeting the illicit assets generated by drug trafficking.

By attacking traffickers at their financial core—their illegal properties—the Punjab Police aim to dismantle the economic framework that supports the drug trade.

The tempo of property freezing has notably increased in recent years.

In 2024 alone, assets worth nearly Rs 330 crore were frozen, while an additional Rs 270 crore in properties were frozen in 2025.

Significantly, the cumulative value of illegal properties frozen in connection with drug smugglers has surpassed Rs 600 crore in just the past two years, accounting for more than half of the nearly Rs 1,000 crore worth of assets frozen since 2017. This underscores the intensified efforts to dismantle the financial underpinnings of the drug trade.

The Punjab Police's investigations now routinely follow the money trail from drug crimes through properties, bank accounts, shell companies, benami holdings, and luxury assets.

Identified and frozen assets include residential houses, commercial properties, agricultural land, and high-value vehicles acquired illegally, all under the relevant legal provisions.

"This crackdown is a crucial element of the Punjab government's 'Yudh Nashean Virudh' (War Against Drugs) initiative, aimed at addressing the narcotics issue through coordinated enforcement, prevention, and rehabilitation strategies," stated an official release.

Under this campaign, the police have ramped up intelligence-driven operations and financial investigations to break down the networks that sustain the drug trade.

A senior Punjab Police official emphasized that targeting illegal wealth amassed by drug traffickers is a calculated approach designed to undermine the incentives that fuel the drug trade.

"We are implementing one of India's most aggressive and financially astute anti-drug enforcement models. Our focus is not only on capturing smugglers but also on dismantling the financial empires built on drug proceeds. Drug trafficking thrives on the lure of substantial illegal profits. Our method aims to eradicate that incentive by systematically targeting and freezing assets derived from drug money. When traffickers understand that their properties, land, and wealth are subject to confiscation, the economic structure supporting the drug trade begins to falter. Economic disruption and financial warfare against drug trafficking are therefore central to the Punjab Police's anti-drug strategy," the official elaborated.